


The Woman with the Red Lipstick

by FeralCreature



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anonymous Sex, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Self-Insert, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Smut, red dead redemption - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 03:23:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 57,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16653331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreature/pseuds/FeralCreature
Summary: On a hot summer night in Saint Denis, Arthur Morgan is stuck playing nobleman in the mayor’s party of aristocrats to gain info for his gang. After a while of acting civil, he slips out towards a dark secluded garden to find solace- what he finds instead, is a beautiful woman with secrets as dark as his. Despite this, he sees a chance at redemption in her hands that she holds open for him and him only.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I tried keeping the main female lead as ambiguous as possible when it comes to details so feel free to insert yourself! This is an Arthur x Reader fic but I just decided to tell this story in third person and give the MC a name too. I hope y’all enjoy! (Based on the mission in Saint Denis where you’re invited to the mayor’s house and Arthur and the gang dress up reaaaaal nice.)

The sounds of high societal banter and loud explosions of fireworks irked Arthur Morgan, his three piece suit already irritating him as it chafed against his crotch everytime he walked. Even more frustrating was the front he put up to talk to the blue bloods of Saint Denis, much as he would be happier robbing these folks than rubbing elbows with them in false camaraderie. The outlaw in disguise sighed heavily and downed the rest of his expensive champagne in one go, placing it down on a passing waiter’s tray as he went to find Hosea. 

 

He found the old man talking amongst the mayor’s posse, laughing in a jovial manner- all the while thinking of the most profitable way to take advantage of their assets. 

 

Arthur placed a hand on Hosea’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper, careful not to let the others catch wind, “I’m gonna go take a breather, gettin’ too stuffy. Won’t be long.” 

 

Hosea nodded slightly and returned to cracking jokes and spinning tales with a warm smile on his face as Arthur Morgan slipped out toward the garden.

 

-

 

Arthur sat on a bench concealed by a large weeping willow tree, the night breeze gave little reprieve from the southern heat causing him to undo his tie and pop a few buttons of his coat to expose his chest slightly. Lighting a match on the underside of his boot, he brought up the match to his cigarette to smoke. In front of him, a large water fountain of stone was erected. The white stone illuminating under the moon as well as a silhouette that emerged from behind the center statue. 

 

“The party not pleasing to you, my good man?” A gentle feminine voice called out to Arthur as he exhaled smoke through his nostrils. 

 

“Ma’am?” 

 

The woman splashed through the fountain, lifting her white dress over her knees as she stepped out from the fountain with her bare feet touching the stone. Her long hair fell in waves over her exposed shoulders as she made her way to Arthur who stayed silent to her small show. 

 

The long tendrils of the weeping willow covered the woman’s face, but Arthur saw the gleam of red lipstick shining on her lips as she smiled mischievously. 

 

“If you ask me, I was rather bored at the party as well. Expensive wine but cheap conversation. The high society of Saint Denis is nothing but a ruse.” 

 

She plopped down on the bench next to him and she sighed, “If I wasn’t required to be at the party, I’d go down to the saloon right now and have a  _ real  _ drink.” 

 

Arthur handed her the cigarette which she took a long drag of, exhaling a cloud of smoke that hovered over her face. She handed the cigarette back with a red ring of her rouge rubbed off on it in an almost perfect circle. 

 

“I don’t go to these parties often, but I do hate mingling with these rich folks. I rather be anywhere else,” he confessed. “I’ve had more fun at any rundown town than a big ‘civilized’ city like this.”

 

“Let’s go then,” she whispered. “Let’s leave this dull event and have some  _ real  _ fun.” 

 

Her hand reached up to turn his face and he finally saw her face. 

 

She was beautiful. Her eyes layered with wispy lashes, the lips stained by red paint smudged slightly- no doubt from drinking the endless champagne at the party. 

 

Her smile widened as her eyes darkened with untold intent, “May I kiss you? It’s hard to find such a handsome fella with an actual sense of adventure.”

 

Arthur’s breath caught up in his throat, surely she was drunk. But as he began to wrap his hand around the mystery woman’s waist, it seemed apparent that maybe he was drunk as well. She saw the opportunity and lifted herself up onto his lap as she guided his hands to squeeze her thighs. His hands explored her bodice, a hand on her lower back as she lifted his face to hers and licked the remains of tobacco and champagne on his lips. His other hand gripped her thigh tightly and this caused her to jolt, bucking on his lap while releasing a low groan. She grabbed his throat and bit on his bottom lip, letting her tongue slip over his.

 

He pulled away for a moment, taking in the beautiful woman offering herself to him on his lap. “Ma’am, are you sure about this? We don’t even know each other, maybe we should introduce oursel-“ 

 

He was silenced by her finger, she looked down at him through her lashes, “Let us be incognito. Tonight it’s just a man and a woman, bored out of their minds. Enjoying each other’s company in a secluded garden.” 

 

Arthur looked at her in silence and the woman sighed, leaning forward to his ear and whispered, “Please.”

 

He needed no more further convincing as he found his lips on hers again. Mr. Morgan didn’t know what caused him to be like this, perhaps it was the alcohol, perhaps it was the stronger intoxication of the secret tryst with a beautiful woman after months of abstinence. She guided his hands to her waist and he wrapped one strong arm around it while she ripped open his collar to lick the skin underneath. 

 

“Don’t worry,” she breathed, “Whatever I break, I’ll gladly pay to replace.” She began to bite and suck on his neck, licking a sliver of his skin up and down and leaving love marks all the way down his jugular. He began to feel his cock harden and she no doubt felt it too as she lifted her dress to grind against his crotch, eliciting a stifled groan. She giggled and Arthur grabbed onto her thighs once more to grind against her harder all the while rocking back and forth to kiss each other harder. 

 

Her hands reached down to unzip his pants and his erect cock sprung out, eager for release. She reached for his ample member as she rubbed it against her undergarments. Arthur groaned in frustration as he took hold of her drawers and ripped it at the seams and exposed her sex. She then lifted herself up- using his shoulders as support and lowered herself down on his wanting cock. The head opened up her folds and she began to quiver, letting the thrill of the stimulation take her. He bucked his hips up to slam into her and the woman bit down on his shoulder to hide her wanton moans. 

 

Slamming continuously up as she rode him, she entwined her fingers into his hair as she moaned into his ear which caused him to groan in return. The slick folds of her cunt made a wet sound as he dragged his cock out of her before slipping it back in with his hands now gripping her ass. She bounced on his lap in the same lustful rhythm as he, her breasts bouncing in front of his face as she threw her head back- grinding her hips back and forth to feel the top of his cock cause hot friction in her womb.

 

The sleeve of her white dress slipped off her shoulder and she reached down to kiss him once more as their pace slowed, allowing them to catch their breath. Overhead, a new set of fireworks exploded and colorful fire cascaded down as the noise blocked out their sounds of passion. 

 

“Harder, while the fireworks drown out the sounds,” she whispered, breathless. Arthur took this command and laid her down on the bench, positioning her leg over his shoulder and placed himself once more into her. He gave her no rest as his pace quickened and when the woman tried to bite a finger down to silence herself, Arthur grabbed her hands and held it tightly above her head. 

 

“While the fireworks are still goin’, I want you to moan as loud as you want, my lady.” 

 

Under the pale light, Arthur swore he saw a tint of pink flush across the woman’s cheeks as she looked almost shyly up at him as he thrusted into her- not breaking eye contact. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed in the garden and he felt almost at his limit. 

 

The woman arched her back and let out an erotic moan as her eyes rolled back as explosions of pleasure took over her body in waves of electricity. He knelt down, catching his breath shortly as the last of the fireworks died down and she wrapped her arms around him. Kissing his forehead and caressing his hair, the woman smiled at him and held his head for a while before releasing him to get up. She fixed her hair and brushed down her dress, making herself as presentable as possible before turning to Arthur and doing the same. Reaching into her bodice to retrieve a tube of lipstick, she turned from Arthur to apply it.

 

She fixed his hair, buttoned his shirt up, wiped any smudge of red lipstick off of him, and brushed off his suit. Taking his hand, she led him in front of the fountain and reached to touch his cheek. 

 

“You are a rather handsome man. This was the most fun I’ve had here. Perhaps fate will bring us together again,” the woman winked at him, standing up on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Now do me a favor and close your eyes for me?” 

 

For a moment, Arthur felt a rustle in his coat pocket, but he paid it no mind as he closed his eyes and inhaled the flowery fragrance of the mystery woman before it slowly waned away. He opened his eyes to find the woman gone and he looked around him to see if he would catch a glimpse of her white dress as she fled. 

 

No. 

 

It was only him in the garden now.

 

-

 

“Arthur! There you are! It’s time to leave, you’ve gotten the papers from the mayor’s office right?” Dutch whispered as he clapped his shoulders. 

 

“Uh, yeah. In here,” Arthur responded, tapping his coat pocket. 

 

“Alright, let’s get out of here. Bill looks like he might explode if he has to act civil for one more second,” Hosea chimed in with an angry Bill in tow. The group left, retrieving their weapons at the front and stepping into their stagecoach.

 

“Arthur? Papers?” Dutch asked and Arthur nodded, handing him the stolen documents. 

 

“I believe this is yours, Mr. Morgan,” Dutch said as he handed back a white handkerchief. Before Arthur could protest, he saw a stain of red on it. Unfolding it, a red stained kiss mark was on the corner of it- he rubbed it with his thumb and found the stain to be still fresh. 

 

Folding the handkerchief back into a square, he tucked it away before anyone could see it. It was a gift, no doubtedly from the woman with the red lipstick. 

 

Deep in his heart, he wished to see her again. 

 


	2. Chapter Two

Arthur barely had enough time to finish the cold stew from last night’s pot before Hosea called in every available gun into the manor’s living room. John Marston clapped him on the back, making him spill the soup onto his pants- much to Arthur’s annoyance.

 

“Hurry up, Morgan! Hosea said this was important,” Marston’s scratchy voice called out before disappearing into the manor. Arthur Morgan grumbled and discarded of his soup bowl before following the rest of the gang inside.

 

-

 

Arthur entered the room to see Micah, John, Bill and Charles crowd around the room to face towards Dutch and Hosea.

 

“Good afternoon, everybody, Mr. Matthews here says he got us a massive score from- who was it again?” Dutch puffed on his cigar and gestured towards his best friend.

 

“From a Mr. Fleurille, he’s a steam roller tycoon, incredibly rich, and he wants to work with us.”

 

“Does he know who we are, sounds too good to be true, we can’t keep trustin’ these high society folks,” John growled, still upset with the business with the Braithwaites.

 

“It’s okay, John, he doesn’t know exactly who we are but he knows the work we do can be.. questionable. That’s why he called on us,” Hosea reassured him. “He’s simply asking is to retrieve his daughter.”

 

“Why can’t he send the damn cops, he has all that money. We can’t risk our time and resources on a little rich girl.”

 

The room murmured with agreements and Dutch exhaled the smoke, “Gentlemen, don’t you see? This man is willing to work with us, from the letter he gave us, he’s willing to give us a fortune of money if we retrieve her _safely._ Without a scratch on her pretty princess head.”

 

“How much exactly,” Arthur asked, leaning on his shoulder against the wall.

 

“From what he said.. seven hundred and fifty dollars,” Hosea replied, taking in the reaction from the group. “He says she disappeared a few days ago and received a ransom from the Lemoyne raiders just last night with what’s supposed to be her two fingers attached to it.”

 

“Jesus Christ, her _fingers?”_ Bill exclaimed and Hosea nodded in reply.

 

“Hence why we need to move urgently, gentlemen, this will be an easy gain if done properly,” Dutch motioned for everyone to move out and so they did.

 

-

 

“Let’s dismount here.”

 

Arthur, John, Charles, and Hosea looked through the woods in the dead of night, tracking where the missing woman was last seen with her horse, tearing through the countryside.

 

Dutch going with Bill and Micah to scout another spot in an adjacent area of the forest to cover more ground.

 

“Someone explain to me why a noblewoman would just be out here by herself, is she stupid?” Charles muttered, observing the forest floor for tracks.

 

A rustle of leaves turned the group’s attention towards the noise as Bill emerged from the growth.

 

“We think we found something, a bunch of horse tracks going deeper into the forest.”

 

-

 

“Look, those disgusting raiders are surrounding that house. They’ve been standing there, patrolling, guarding or whatnot.”

 

“Guarding something precious, maybe?”

 

“Okay, here’s the plan. We should wait until-“

 

The group was interrupted by an ear piercing screech as they saw a man run out in his underwear while flames enveloped him. An explosion soon followed on the far end of the house that alerted all of the raiders to investigate, leaving the poor man to roll around in the mud to avert the flames but to no avail. The smell of burnt flesh and gunpowder filled Arthur’s nostrils as screams began to filter into his ears- nonsensical demands of putting the fire out even though there wasn’t water to be found for at least a mile.

 

“Goddamnit, now what, she could be in there burning alive for all we know!” Micah spat, looking towards Dutch.

 

“We don’t know that, she could be anywhere. Don’t lose faith,” he replied.

 

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed that every “easy” mission they had always seemed to mess up for them. His eyes saw movement in between the trees, a mixture of white and black flitted across the trees. Bits of moonlight catching on the person’s body and before he could register what his eyes were seeing, a soft whinny was heard amongst their rustle of horses in the back.

 

“Wait- shit, our horses!” Arthur cursed and ran, everyone else turning around in a panic to follow him as they began to run to their respective rides.

 

The figure began to stop untangling most of the horses and jumped on the horse with a soft Chestnut coat- “That’s my horse!” Arthur yelled out, unable to stop the figure from galloping off.

 

Charles rode up next to Arthur and motioned for him to jump on which he did gladly. “Is it one of them raiders trying to steal our horses? Let’s go get him, maybe he knows something about the girl!” Bill readied his gun, riding ahead.

 

The rest followed as they tried to catch up, the seven of them making a semi-circle around the lone rider.

 

“Stop! I said stop!” Bill yelled and aimed his pistol, shooting the rider in the stomach- causing the horse to be spooked and flung the rider off to collide with the dusty road below.

 

“What a fucking mess, Bill, we needed him alive to interrogate!” John barked, annoyed at his hasty decisions.

 

“We needed him to stop so I stopped him, what’s the matter with that?!” He shot back and Dutch rode in the middle of them to intervene.

 

“Let’s not do this while our guest on the floor here is bleeding out, perhaps we can _accommodate_ him. It’s not too late to heal up that wound anyhow, only enough for him to survive to talk,” Dutch motioned for Arthur to take back his horse. Calming and shushing his ride as he approached, patting the animal on the neck as it huffed in response, “Good boy, easy now.”

 

“Let’s get this raider and get out of here.”

 

They all looked on the raider sprawled on the floor, blood staining the dirt around the body. Arthur picked up the body, the face covered with a low hat and black bandana and he rode off.

 

-

 

Sounds of galloping horses rode into Shady Belle as the group dismounted, Arthur taking the body over his shoulder- feeling the blood ooze onto his shoulder from the gunshot wound Bill caused.

 

Miss Grimshaw approached, ready to tend to whatever wounds or grievances were available. “Well, who is that?”

 

“Ah, some Lemoyne raider, we’re to interrogate him on the whereabouts of the little lady,” Hosea answered, wiping the sweat off his brow.

 

“Arthur, go ahead and tie ‘im up against a post or something. Miss Grimshaw, keep the man alive but just barely. We only need him to talk,” Dutch ordered and as Arthur moved, he felt a squirm on his shoulder as the body rolled off of him, grappling for his holster. It happened quickly as his gun was looted off and pointed at him, raising his arms up in hopes they wouldn’t shoot him on the spot.

 

The group immediately began to shout in retaliation, arms were taken up as the person in the black bandana aimed the gun right at Arthur while everyone has the gun pointed at the raider.

 

“There won’t be any trouble, just let me go and I won’t shoot your man.”

 

Arthur swore the voice sounded familiar, rough and dry but it certainly wasn’t the voice of a raider.

 

“There’s at least seven guns here pointed at you, each one equipped can shoot your hand clean off before you pull the trigger. I reckon you wouldn’t be able to shoot straight with that wound- but we don’t wanna do that, we. Just. Want. To. Talk,” Dutch spoke, turning on the charm he would use in specific situations like this.

 

“I don’t have information you seek, just let me go and we can forget about this-“

 

“We just want to ask where a certain noblewoman went. Perhaps you know her, daughter of a tycoon that your gang kidnapped?”

 

That was when the raider dropped their gun, a hand still clutching their stomach as the heavy black coat they wore rose and fell with their breaths getting more ragged. A gloved hand reached up to pull off the hat, revealing a mess of wavy hair falling down amongst their shoulders and then reached down to take their bandana off. As the black cloth fluttered to the ground, she looked up at the group with wide eyes and wispy lashes.

 

Arthur felt a familiar lodge in his throat, seeing the red lipstick smudged against the woman’s pouty lips made his heart pang with the slightest of pains.

 

“I believe that may be me,” her lips tilted up. “My father sent you, huh? Then you gents should have just left me to die..” She began to sway, her left foot catching herself and Arthur immediately held his arms forward, catching the woman before she fell on the mud.

 

Her eyes fell on his face and her smile turned into a soft smirk, “It seems fate brought us together once more, my handsome man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone who supported that first chapter! I hope y’all enjoy and continue to support this fic! xo I low key want to be extra and enter in sketches/ journal entries to imitate Arthur’s and insert it here, but I’m not sure quite yet~ Btw Happy Turkey Day :)


	3. Chapter Three

It’s been a while since the little lady opened her eyes, Arthur let her sleep in his bed- insisting he’d be fine sleeping on the couch near Dutch’s room. Three days already passed, the routine was almost clockwork as Susan went up to wrap the lady up with more bandages and feed her then exit his room with more blood on her hands than when she entered. The girl ran a high fever, her breathing was ragged, her forehead was laden in sweat: it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to recover at all. But they still took care of her upon Dutch’s insistence, to him- she was a bag of money waiting to be claimed.

 

Least that’s what Arthur Morgan thought, watching Dutch chat with Susan under hushed voices and he would stroke his moustache while peering out of the porch in the master bedroom. The tired cowboy laid back, looking out the window to see everyone doing their mandated chores before retiring back on the couch to sleep.

 

On the first day of Miss Fleurille’s recovery, she slept through the whole day- leaving the camp to gossip about the mild exchange of the two as he caught her in his arms in an almost dramatic flair after her reveal. The way she grasped onto his shirt, nuzzling her head on his chest didn’t help with the chatter of the giggling girls sitting behind him as he chopped wood- nor the gossip that spread through their small camp.

 

-

 

“Soooo… you met before, huh? Under what circumstances?” Javier gave Arthur a smug grin and made an obnoxious kissing noise.

 

“Don’t you mean cir- _CUM_ -stances?” Karen let out a whooping holler and the rest of the girls followed in a fit of laughter. Arthur glowered at Javier -whose smile widened even more.

 

Hosea lifted his mug of coffee to his lips, stopping only when he saw Arthur’s patience waning away. Turning his attention to the girls and Javier, he spoke calmly, “Now now, let’s not irritate Mr. Morgan. He’s a grown up, that’s his business.”

 

They looked down, ashamed at Hosea’s chiding.

 

“And as a grown up, I’m sure he does grown up business on his own time. Heh heh, ain’t that right Arthur. Why don’t you give her a kiss to wake her up, Prince Charming?” Hosea laughed, and the others soon joined leading Arthur to sigh loudly.

 

-

 

On the second day, Lenny sat next to him next to the campfire with two beers in hand. Arthur took the gesture, toasting him before taking a swig.

 

“Uh, so what’s the deal with the little lady? I didn’t know you were into younger women,” he whispered. “Come onnnn, man. You can tell me!”

 

Arthur slammed his bottle down and flared his nostrils in frustrations, “Goddamnit Lenny, not this shit from you too!”

 

“Arthur, this is a small camp. Word travels faster than that time Dutch’s horse bucked you off.”

 

“Fuck off.”

 

-

 

On the third day, Arthur placed the sack of grain next to Pearson as he whistled, chopping away at fresh venison.

 

“I hope my food is helping her recover, she’s been out cold, barely talkin’. Miss Grimshaw is getting irritated at the amount of supplies she’s consuming,” Pearson spoke, now dicing what little herbs they had.

 

“Susan needs to leave her be, she got shot in the stomach,” Arthur sighed.

 

“Nah, went clean through her hip, shoulda recovered by now. We’re lucky Bill is a bad shot on horseback or this would’ve ended bad for us.  I assume they just kept the poor girl starved for days.”

 

“Well, I don’t rightly know what to do. Just let her rest so her daddy don’t get mad and arrest us on the spot.”

 

From the corner of Arthur’s eye, he saw Uncle crawl from under the wagon with a whiskey bottle in hand. Bemused, he watched as the old man crawled through the mud towards him- finally collapsing and turning over to face the sky.

 

“That lady you brought, she’s reaaaaal purdy. You’s better not get involved, lest you want a repeat like that Mary ‘o yours, ya old foooool,” he belched out, slurred by the strong alcohol.

 

“Shut up, Uncle. Go back under the wagon why don’t cha?”

 

-

 

On the fourth day, Arthur awoke to raised voices. The familiar screech of Susan mixed with some other voices in the camp, Dutch and Hosea’s being the loudest amongst them. 

 

Getting up, he looked down to see his blanket that the Fleurille girl was wrapped up in when he brought her in. He lifted the blanket to his nose, inhaling the strong scent of flowers that brought him back to that fateful party in Saint Denis. Had she put the blanket back on him?

 

Susan’s ire rang through the mansion of Shady Belle, snapping Arthur to his senses as he set the blanket aside and ran down to see what the commotion was about.

 

“She’s been resting like a goddamn queen while each one of us slaves away to keep her fed and warm, Dutch. At this point the reward ain’t enough to replace the supplies we used on her!” Grimshaw hissed, pointing an accusatory finger at Miss Fleurille. “We ain’t getting money and supplies ain’t cheap, especially since we gotta bribe to keep their goddamned mouths shut about us! Not to mention the bounties we gotta get off our backs!”

 

The girl looked unfazed, her long hair tucked behind her ears, and the blood stained the ragged shirt she wore. She didn’t fail to lose eye contact even as Susan yelled in her face.

 

“Miss Grimshaw, please, she is a _guest_ of ours-“ Dutch started.

 

“All these damned guests o’ yours are eating the food, takin’ supplies, and leaving without even a thank you, the girl should pay us more for everything she’s consumed!”

 

Hosea sighed, rubbing his forehead as Arthur stood next to him with his thumbs in his belt while watching the scene unfold.

 

“I agree, she should at least give us something _extra_ in return,” Micah slithered in, eyeing the girl like a wolf eyes a rabbit before the kill. His hand slowly travelled up the girl’s tanned skin and the woman’s eyes snapped up- pulling her arm away.

 

“Leave her the hell alone, you dirty bastard,” Arthur started towards Micah and he rose his hands up, retreating a few steps.

 

Her shirt shifted and a gold pendant shone under the rising sun, catching Susan’s attention. “How much does that necklace cost, girl.”

 

Fleurille reached up to cover the necklace, turning her body sideways and eyed everyone cautiously. “No, please.. I understand I’ve been a burden to everyone here and I’m truly sorry. I can clean, I’m a decent enough shot. I’ll pull my weight around here, just don’t-“

 

“Then why don’t you get us some food, make yourself useful for once instead of resting in bed all day. If you don’t get enough for everyone to eat, you can hand over that necklace and everything else precious to you!” Susan stormed off, leaving the group in an awkward silence.

 

Arthur approached the girl, talking to her in a soft voice he usually reserved for his beloved horse, “You don’t have to do that, I’ll go ahead and get huntin’.”

 

“No, I want to do this. It’s okay, may I- I know I’m asking another favor- but may I borrow some decent clothes to hunt with?”

 

-

 

Arthur watched with worry as Miss Fleurille equipped herself with a sniper rifle and bow, loading up on a horse that Arthur let her borrow.

 

“You really don’t have to do this, ma’am. Miss Grimshaw- she, well, she’s just irked and she’s really not all that bad.”

 

“I feel bad eating up everything you all worked so hard for, allow me to repay you at least.”

 

“That really ain’t necessary-“

 

“This is final, Arthur. Anyways they sent two fellas to go with me to _‘_ supervise’ me.”

 

Arthur looked up at the woman who gave him a say smile, the realization that he didn’t even know the mystery woman’s full name.

 

“They told you my name, huh?”

 

The girl grinned, winking at him, “Yes, Arthur Morgan. It’s a lovely name, equally handsome as the person it belongs to.”

 

“I don’t have the pleasure of knowing your first name, ma’am.”

 

“I’ll tell you when I come back,” she smiled, lowering her hand to reach down to touch his cheek, but decided against it as she retracted her fingers back into her palms. Clearing her throat and pretending to just stretch, while Arthur pretended not to notice as he patted the horse in a monotonous manner- feeling his throat heavy with the words he couldn’t form. She gripped the reigns of her horse; digging in her heels and riding away from Shady Belle.

 

-

 

“You sure you know how to do this?” Charles whispered.

 

“I’ve hunted deer before, I’ll be fine,” she whispered back. Glancing behind her shoulder to watch Charles and Javier readying their weapons as they dismounted.

 

“Sooo, I noticed your perfectly intact hand. In the letter they sent your father, they sent fingers too,” Javier softly spoke.

 

“I wasn’t the only girl they kept in a cage for ransoms, Mr. Escuella, they killed another one and used her parts unfortunately..” Fleurille muttered, getting on one knee to look at fresh hoof prints in the moist earth.  

 

“Look, there’s a lot of horse tracks here- yours?”

 

“No, we don’t travel through this area much, looks like four or five riders.”

 

“Hey, the tracks here-“ she pointed at a large smudge in the ground that interrupted the prints “-something or someone fell off the horse, they had to stop to pick it back up.”

 

Her finger pointed at the circle of hooves in the mud and the flattened grass surrounding the large smudge, “Must’ve been pretty important cargo for _all_ of the riders to stop, don’t you think?”

 

“Do you think it’s worth investigating?”

 

“Yes. This might’ve been a capture party from the raiders, some other girl or I don’t know- we can’t risk it to chance,” she drew her rifle as she observed the tracks going deeper into the woods. “Can we go, please?”

 

Her eyes shimmered under the evening sun and Charles sighed, Javier looked amused as he flicked his cigarette off his forefinger.

 

“Hurry up then, let’s go.”

 

The girl smiled at him gratefully, flipping her braid over her shoulder and continued to follow the trail into the heavy marsh. The heat of the sun and dampness of their environment made the flimsy shirt she wore stick to her body and her hair stick to her forehead, it was uncomfortable at the least. The two van der Linde boys watched quietly as she quietly stalked the Lemoyne wilderness, eager to see the end of the trail.

 

“Wait, there!” Charles hissed, pulling back Fleurille and pointed at two men walking with repeater sling over their backs. They wore all black with green handkerchiefs wrapped around their necks- “O’Driscolls,” Javier growler, jumped down behind them with his pistol ready.

 

“We should kill them, they’re pretty close to camp,” he insisted and Charles places a hand over the readied gun.

 

“Let’s dispose of them quietly, we don’t know how much of them there are.”

 

Their attention was turned towards a shriek that came from the trees that concealed a small shack.

 

“Shut him up, shut him UP. Stop fucking whining, traitor!!!”

 

Angry voices accompanied the whimpering voice and Charles motioned Javier to follow with their knives, taking down the two patrolling with killer precision. The three moved onwards, the screaming getting louder as they approached the shack.

 

“Ain’t no one here gonna rescue you, so stop fucking crying!” A smack was heard followed with another soft whimper.

 

“There’s four of them, how should we proceed?”

 

“Take three out with knives and bows, the last one will be caught by surprise- but let’s make sure to get him before he fires his gun. Ready?”

 

Charles motioned for them to draw, his and her bow readied and Javier with his knife.

 

“Go.”

 

It happened fast as she and Charles released their arrows into the O’Driscoll’s heads and Javier’s flung his knife at their neck, running up to grab the knife from where it was lodged and proceeding to tackle the last one. “What-“ he started before the knife was tucked into his neck, blood spurting onto the damp ground.

 

“Who is this poor bastard,” Javier muttered, motioning towards the man tied up to the pole. Burn marks and knife wounds littering his body with an executioner’s hood cover his head.

 

Charles kicked the bodies to check if they really breathed their last, then made his way to the prisoner and lifted up the hood- revealing a mess of black hair and blood covering the boy’s face as a huge vertical knife wound covered his left eye. He looked up scared and started crying slightly, the salted tears mixed with the dried crimson on his lips.

 

“Shit… it’s Kieran.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I paid $60 to have Rockstar rip out my heart and curb stomp it on the ground. Anyways, I hope y’all enjoyed this chapter :) p.s. Kieran never deserved any of the hate he received, he was just a boy who wanted to live in a world that was cruel to him. He was neither Kieran O’Driscoll nor Kieran van der Linde, he was just Kieran Duffy. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.


	4. Chapter Four

Bringing back Kieran, all damaged and bloody as he was, was a shock for the group. Dutch was quiet as they laid the boy down to tend to his wounds; Mary-Beth constantly wiped away at the chipped blood forming around his open wounds. Arthur looked at the boy with sorry glances: another victim of the war that Dutch and Colm should’ve ended themselves. 

 

Making sure he was kept after, Arthur walked towards the gazebo where the little lady sat. Her shirt was covered in sweat and framed her torso, the long braid went over her shoulder as she fiddled with the loose end; nervousness played with her fingertips as they twirled loosely and her eyes fluttered as if bothered by the miasma of heat from the swamp.

 

He chuckled to himself, this wasn’t the place for a noblewoman like herself. A pretty young thing didn’t belong in a group of rough outlaws like theirs. 

 

“Arthur?” 

 

His attention was brought up at the call of his name, looking at the woman who looked back with her wide eyes filled with curiosity. Her lips parted slightly, absent of her red lipstick, but still had the same alluring affect. 

 

“I’m sorry, we didn’t bring anything back. I’ll go back out shortly.” 

 

“No, don’t worry yourself missy. I’ll get it done,” he waved her worry away as he took a seat down across from her. Cicadas humming filled the silence in between them before Arthur spoke again. 

 

“So, ah, how you feelin’?” 

 

“I’m fine, Mr. Morgan. I appreciate all this, I’d be more worried about the boy though.”

 

“Ah, he’ll be fine soon-“ he looked at her through the curve of his hat “-you promised to tell me your name when you got back, ma’am.”

 

“I did, didn’t I,” she smiled, that familiar sparkle of mischief shined in her eyes. She got up, grabbing the ends of her loose shirt and lifted the ends up- doing a mock curtsy. “You may call me Violet.” 

 

“That your real name? Pretty.” 

 

“That’s what my caretaker calls me, my father calls me ‘Fleur’-derived from my last name. He always tells me Violet leaves a disgusting taste in his mouth, reminds him too much of my mother he says.”

 

“So, a lady with two names she’s known for, knows how to shoot, and ride on a horse in the middle of the swamp. Got anything else to add to that mystery?” Arthur leaned back, watching Violet tilt her head to look at the overgrown trees.

 

“As for my names, that’s a long story. As for the secrets..” she leaned forward, not breaking eye contact with the cowboy, “..well, you were there that night for one of them.”

 

Arthur felt heat creep up against the back of his neck and he was sure it wasn’t the temperature. He tilted his hat forward to cover his eyes, “I ain’t used to talking to women much. Pretty women especially.” 

 

“You think I’m pretty?” Her smile widened, amused at his expense. “Well I think you’re a damn fine man.”

 

“I should go check on Kieran,” he tipped his hat and got up to walk away hastily. Arthur Morgan, gunslinger, robber, and outlaw- was feeling his cheeks burn slightly at the embarrassment that was his attempt at complimenting a lady. 

 

Maybe it was because she was drunk that night, he remembered tasting the champagne on her tongue and the lust in her eyes.. Nah, he would only be kidding himself. No one like Violet Fleurille or Mary Linton would want to spend the rest of their lives with someone who ran for a living, who shoot and rob people like they were just doing a normal job.  

 

No one would want sad old Arthur Morgan. 

 

~

 

_ “Marriage?! Father, that’s too soon. I don’t even know the man. May I at least-“  _

 

_ “No, now stop whining Fleur. You are the successor to the name whether you like it or not and this union keeps us in the prime!” _

 

_ “You’re making me marry a man I don’t even know, a man I don’t even love!” Her voice cracked, biting her lip till the skin broke under her teeth.  _

 

_ “Your mother nearly had me bankrupt with her shenanigans. I’m trying to give us a better life here and you’re being goddamn ungrateful!”  _

 

_ “But, mother-“  _

 

_ “YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD NOW, GIRL! I’M STILL ALIVE SO YOU. WILL. LISTEN. TO ME.”  _

 

_ ~ _

 

Violet woke in a sweat, eyes wide open and staring at the moldy ceiling of the mansion. Scrunching her eyes and balling her fists to where her fingers threatened to break through her skin- she refused to cry. 

 

She was still in Arthur’s room, the smell of his musk filled her nose every time she moved around on the bed. The scent of old grass, gunpowder, and sweat with a hint of the alcohol that Arthur ingested; although off putting to most, Vi found it alluring.

 

The morning rays poked through the shades on the windows, signaling a new day. She arose and took down her braided hair, letting the loose wavy curls fall down her back. She was going to do whatever it took to postpone going back home as much as possible. 

 

Exiting her room with nary a sound, she saw Dutch walk downstairs with a cigar in his mouth. Wrapping her makeshift shawl around her, Violet ran after him down the stairs as quietly as she could. 

 

“Dutch, may I speak with you?” 

 

He turned towards her, eyebrow raised in anticipation. She spoke, figuring it was her cue, “How much is my father giving you for my rescue?” 

 

“Seven hundred and fifty, why do you ask Miss?” 

 

“I’ll add an additional seventy five if you let me stay with you all for a little while longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit slow, I’m planning for camp shenanigans to ensue for the next one! I hope y’alls semester was great! My fall semester is almost over and I just wish it snowed more here in Texas smh.


	5. Chapter Five

Arthur watched Miss Violet read Jack a story under the shade of the gazebo, he was eating a stick of salted beef- coughing after the seasoning coated his throat in an uncomfortably bitter taste. It’s been days that she stayed with them, she always found something to do and something new to learn. She spent time with Hosea, discussing things Arthur couldn’t wrap his head around and she spent time with the girls, teaching them about what gems were the most valuable to grab when they’re out thieving. 

Her eyes looked up from her book to wander and made contact with Arthur as he nodded at her, embarrassed at having been caught staring. He walked away from his original post and saw Mary-Beth closing her book, her kind eyes crinkling up as she saw the old cowboy walk towards her.

 

“Arthur! I was just about to go find you,” she got up and hooked her arm around his, leading him. “Here, Kieran, can you look after my book for me?” She handed him her book which he took tentatively, “Y-yes, I can do that Miss Gaskill!” 

 

Once they were out of earshot, Arthur chuckled, “That boy has been looking at you all starry-eyed like a damn puppy.” 

 

Mary-Beth gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, “Kieran is a good kid. You all are too hard on him! But, he isn’t what I wanted to talk about.” Mischief was written all over face as she gave him a wide grin. 

 

Arthur sighed heavily with his eyes closed, “Mary-Beth, please..” 

 

“Arthur! You can’t blame us for being so curious. We want you to be happy, honest. Anything is better than that woman that keeps playing you like a puppet.” 

 

“Yeah well her and Mary are exactly alike, no way she’s gonna want to run away from all the finery in her life to be with someone ‘rough’.” 

 

“I don’t think so, have you seen her around camp? She can handle this life fine.” 

 

“Yeah, sure. But for how long can she keep that up before she misses hot baths, a roof over her head, and the best food they got to offer. I mean look at this place-“ he motioned to the manor and swamplands “-this ain’t a place for a lady like her.” 

 

Mary-Beth’s stare hardened at him, “Don’t let that type of talk take you away from this opportunity, I’ve seen the way she looks at you from afar. There’s something there, I feel it.” 

 

“Mary-Beth, this ain’t one of the stories you read-“ 

 

Miss Gaskill reached to squeeze his forearm, “Give her a chance, Arthur Morgan. You deserve some type of happiness in this world and she looks ready to give it to you.” 

 

-

 

Violet was with Pearson chopping up whatever was available for their dinner that night, she was wearing clothes that the men took from random locations while looting. It was mis-matched and fitted oddly on her, but she looked comfortable as ever in the slightly oversized red blouse that she tucked into her dirty patched jeans. 

 

Dutch and Arthur stood on the balcony, looking down at the camp getting ready for night time. The evening sun was halfway down the horizon and everyone was scuttling around, trying to get everything done before the light left them. Footsteps creaked the floorboards behind them and they already knew who it was before they even turned around to look. 

 

“Dutch, don’t you think it’s time to let that girl go. She’s been with us for far too long. I’m sure her father’s worried,” Hosea stood in the middle of the men, looking down at Violet with them. 

 

“She ain’t too concerned with what her daddy thinks, it was just a couple of days,” Dutch responded. “Plus she paid us pretty nicely for just wanting to do chores around the camp.” 

 

“I agree, this ain’t the place for her kind,” Arthur crossed his arms to which Dutch sighed in response. 

 

“Fine, we can bring her in first thing tomorrow. Someone go tell her that it’s her last night,” he waved to the two as he left them standing there. 

 

Arthur was silent as Hosea placed a hand on his shoulder, “You should be the one to tell her, seeing as how she’s completely in love with you.” 

 

Hosea grinned when he saw Arthur roll his eyes and look away, “Don’t be stupid Arthur, we all see how y’all look at each other. I think you should take her out to Saint Denis tonight, have some fun before she has to go home to her mundane lifestyle.” 

 

It was silent between them before Hosea spoke again, this time just barely a whisper, “We both know this all won’t last long, go make the best out of it while you can.”

 

Arthur looked to the old man, nodding in defeat. There was no point going against his wisdom. 

 

-

 

“Evening, Violet.”

 

Her eyes shot up to look, smiling when she recognized Arthur. He was dressed in a white button up shirt, his pants looked new and his steel-toed boots shone without a speck of dust on it. 

 

“Arthur, you look nice! Going somewhere?” 

 

“Uh, I was just about to ask if you wanted to go to Saint Denis with me. Do something nice for a change.” 

 

“Sure! Let me change then, wait here,” Violet got up and ran inside the house at an alarming speed, a huge grin plastered on her face. As he waited, Sadie walked up after watching the little lady run inside excitedly. 

 

“Going on a date, huh?” Sadie gave him a smug grin. “Ain’t she too young for you, old man?” 

 

After he didn’t reply, Sadie chuckled and placed her thumbs in her gun belt. “Well, she seems a nice enough gal. She helped me out with a couple ‘a things around camp. She ain’t useless and I like that.” 

 

The doors opened and Vi slipped out, giving Sadie her cue to leave as she clapped Arthur on the back chuckling, “Don’t have too much fun now.” 

 

Violet walked closer and Arthur saw what she was wearing. Her dress was simple but beautiful, it was a short sleeved red dress with the frilled hem brushing against her ankles to show her black heels. Gold earrings dangled on her ears with her hair tied back in a low bun to expose her neck and of course- red lipstick. 

 

“You look beautiful,” Arthur whispered. Violet responded with her eyes fixated on him, slipping her arm in his with a subtle blush on her cheeks. 

 

“A man like you? You deserve only the best.” 

 

She gave a light squeeze and he cleared his throat, whistling for his horse. As it trotted close to him, he lifted himself up on with ease- turning to Violet to help her on only to see the woman hoist herself up, her body turned sideways and her arms wrapping around his waist. 

 

Arthur clicked his tongue and they rode off all the while oblivious of the stares they received from the other camp members.

 

-

 

They arrived at Saint Denis just as the sun was about to set, the gas lights emitting a ghostly yellow glow over the cobblestone streets as establishments of the night came alive with the patrons coming out to participate in the debauchery.

 

“Arthur, would you like to take a picture together? Let’s go before they close!” Violet tugged on his shirt to point at the shop and Arthur obliges, hitching his horse in front of the shop. 

 

Walking in, they were greeted and were given a once-over before being quickly escorted in front of the camera. 

 

“My what a lovely couple! Now, you can go ahead and pose for me in front of this beautiful Rome setting,” he said as he disappeared under the hood of the camera. 

 

Arthur didn’t know what to do, he looked away and stood next to her- stiff as a board and not touching. The cameraman groaned, “Come on, my good man, this isn’t a picture with your grandmother! Treat the lady with more care!” 

 

That was when Arthur felt a hand guide his hands  to her hip and lower back, turning him sideways as she placed hers on his cheek and neck. Looking at him with the most tender stare she could afford.

 

The light flashed and the cameraman got up with excitement. 

“Perfect! Now stay right there, let me develop this!” 

 

Violet kept her hands firmly where she left them, before slipping down with a sad smile. He retracted his hands, finally giving her a small smile- the gaze she gave him almost felt real, almost like love. At least, that’s what he thought. 

 

“Alrighty, that’ll be five dollars!” 

 

Violet thanked the man and handed him the money, taking the picture and looking at it. “Oh, my hair is a bit messier than I thought. But you look so handsome!” 

 

He looked down to see and the moment captured on the picture seemed so heavenly. The woman holding his face with such tenderness as if he would break and the smile that was present on her face was focused only on him made his stomach feel a weird sensation of elation. 

 

“This is for you,” she said as she slipped the picture into his satchel, “I want you to remember me.” 

 

Before he could respond, she walked out of the store- beckoning him to follow. “I know it’s my last night, I figured because you wouldn’t be taking me somewhere like this for it. I..” 

 

She turned to him and her eyes widened, looking behind him to spot two guards flashing their lights down the street. “Oh, those guards are hired by my father. We have to leave. Now!” She hissed as she pulled him in the nearby alley way. 

 

They ran down the alleyway, hand in hand, and stopped when they slipped into a small garden with a bench overlooking a small fountain filled with stagnant water.

“I think we should be safe here,” she chuckled, motioning at the scenery, “this setting look familiar to you?” 

 

“Oh, that night?” He wanted to slap himself in the face, why did he have to sound so goddamn stupid. Her face fell slightly and she took a seat on the bench. 

 

“I wanted to say before.. I’m sorry and thank you. These past couple days with you all were some of the most memorable and best days of my life. And I sincerely hope,” she stopped, clutching her dress as she looked down. 

 

“I hope that I wasn’t wasting your time, you’re everything I would want in a man but I don’t think I’m good for you..” she inhaled deeply. Her fingers reached to wipe her eyes before she looked up, her eyes watering yet again. She got up and hurriedly walked past him, looking down as she did.

 

“I’m so sorry, I feel like such a fool crying in front of you. Let’s just go back to camp, I’ll go and pack and-“  

 

He caught her by her elbow and she stopped to look at him with surprise, catching her in his arms- he led her back to the bench in front of the fountain. Sitting her down on his knees and holding her still by wrapping his arm around her waist. 

 

“Look, you ain’t wasting my time. Sometimes I don’t know what to say and sometimes I don’t know what to think. But what I do know, is that you’re a fine lady. And you are more than enough for me, you’re smart, beautiful, and kind. That’s more than a man like me deserves and I only feel like this life might not be kind to you if you did stay around.” 

 

It was her turn to catch him by surprise as she twisted her body to face him in lap, her legs straddling him and her hand gripping his face. “You think the life I have at home is all niceties? If I already had what I needed from my father, I wouldn’t be there anymore. I’d be out here, living under the stars.”  

 

“Your father?” 

 

“Ah, that’s a story for another time. For now, I have you in such a nice spot. Can we just enjoy each other for now?” 

 

He chuckled and gripped her waist firmly, “Yes, ma’am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand scene, sorry I had to cut y’all off. The chapter was already long enough as it is! Remember that this is a Arthur x Reader but I wanted to give the MC a name instead of y/n and it’s just in third person! I just wanted to try something new tbh. Anyways, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, thank you so much for your support!


	6. Chapter Six

Arthur felt her breath tickle his lips as she felt his beard brush against her jaw as she licked his upper lip. Her kisses started off slow, pecking the side of his mouth and lower cheek; she kissed his jawline, making her way up his ear. Her lips found the crook of his neck and began suckling on it, tasting his skin with the thin layer of sweat resting upon it. 

 

“Arthur,” she let out a wispy breath, sending goosebumps over his arms in spite of the humid weather of Saint Denis. Violet looked up from his neck, looking up at the darkened apartments that surrounded them. She let out a small laugh, “Come, I think I want somewhere more comfortable.” 

 

Getting up, she held a hand towards Arthur and he took it-intertwining his fingers with hers and admiring the softness of her hand versus his calloused rough one. She led him up the stairs to the second floor, looking at the doors until she saw one door with the number sign scratched on with a rough looking star. 

 

“Angelo Bronte himself bought out these apartments, he wanted to put something here I think. But that was a while ago,” Violet pressed her shoulder up against the door and gave a small push with very little resistance. “I used to come here, ya know? To get away sometimes.” 

 

Turning towards Arthur to speak, she was interrupted as Arthur picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him in surprise. “Arthur?”

 

He walked in with her scooped in his hands, slamming the door behind him with his foot and holding Violet against the wall. She wrapped her arms against his shoulders and his mouth found her neck, beginning to bite and suck as she did for him. Her quiet mewls egged him on as he left trails with his tongue, tugging down her dress to reveal her breasts to fondle them gently at first then lifting her up again to place her down on the bed nearby. Moving her stray hair behind her ears, he hovered over her lips and she lifted her head up to kiss him. 

 

Her hands sliding down to begin unbuttoning his dress shirt, feeling his skin underneath and the hardened body from years of fighting the impossible. Sliding the shirt over his shoulders and feeling the muscles of his back flex as he threw the shirt aside, a blush crept on her cheeks as Arthur began to return the favor and slid her dress down until it was at her hips. Sliding it off and dropping it over the side of the bed, Violet looked up at him with a pout, “Not fair, I’m laying her naked and you still have your pants on.” 

 

They were now positioned with Arthur leaning back on his knees to look down at Violet who looked up at him shyly with her naked body revealed to him. “It makes me nervous with you looking at me like that..” she whispered, moving her hands to cover her breasts but were quickly stopped as Arthur took her hands and brought it up at either sides of her head. 

 

“I just wanted to admire how beautiful you are,” he said softly. His hand made it’s way down to her undergarments, using his index and middle finger to feel the wetness that began to develop inside her. Flicking his finger up on her clit, Violet’s hips bucked and her back arched as she bit back a moan. 

 

“Sorry, it’s been a while since I pleasured a woman-“ he said as he began to take his hand back but Violet grabbed it and positioned it at her clit once more. “No, I- I want you to do that again.” 

 

Arthur was taken aback, but a small smile was present on his lips as he began to trace small circles on her clit, flicking it gently as she squirmed underneath. Her wetness grew ever more apparent to him as he continued to play with her, finally slipping his forefinger inside her- feeling the wetness in her making him grin. Violet held his wrist and then moved her hand to cup his face, her moans moving with the pace of how his rough digit moved around inside her. Soon enough, he took his finger out- observing the fluids that coated his hand under the moonlight that flirted through the windows. 

 

“Can you- can you take me again? Like last time,” she breathed, her chest rising up and down fast- looking at him with her wide wanting eyes. Arthur gave his quiet agreement as he unbuckled his pants and kicked off his boots, positioning himself on top of her. Laying down on the bed, the scent of old dusty sheets were soon overpowered by the floral fragrance of the woman he was holding. Cradling her head with one hand, he took his cock out and thrust it in making Violet jump and hug his neck. 

 

“Damn it, Arthur! That was much too sudden!” 

 

“Heh. I thought you liked it rough, missy.” 

 

She shut up, giving him a small pouty frown but quickly melted off to reveal a face of pleasure as Arthur slowly began his pace- going faster as he felt her nails drag down his back. It felt just as good as that night and the way that Vi moaned his name like a not-so-silent prayer. 

 

“Damn it, woman,” he huffed out, feeling the sweat running down over his brow. “How do you feel so goddamn good?” 

 

Thrusting upwards as her hips met his, starting a regular rhythm as skin slapped against skin in the lonely apartment along with the mixed groaning and whines of the two. She cried his name as she began to feel a climax building, looking up to see him look down at her with a warmth in his eyes that she hasn’t seen before. 

 

He groaned as he began to feel his limit, regretting his easy to attain climax. Arthur pulled Violet up to hug her close to his body as he slowed his pace to let his orgasm take his body, the electric currents of pleasure taking over and being replaced with waves of euphoric pleasure. He placed her gently down and laid next to her, both of them breathing heavily while recovering from their carnal desires. 

Violet reached from under her to pull a blanket over their naked bodies, cuddling closer to Arthur and placed a small peck on his lips. He responded by giving her a kiss on her head and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she snuggled closer to him, the moonlight illuminating only parts of their body. 

 

They didn’t speak, they didn’t have to. They fell asleep while entwined in each other’s arms. 

 

-

 

_ “Mother, I feel ridiculous. I can’t even shoot this thing properly!” A young Violet cried out, throwing her repeater down on the dirt.  _

 

_ The woman adorned in black and red walked calmly to the child, picking up the rifle and taking aim at the bottles positioned in the distance. With a calm demeanor and quick fingers, she quickly dispatched of the bottles- the glass shattering in the air and littering the ground.  _

 

_ “I didn’t become this good overnight, it took practice. You think this is hard? Try shooting a moving target while on horseback.”  _

 

_ She handed the rifle back to Violet, letting her wipe the tears of frustration from her eyes.  _

 

_ “Now. Do it again.”  _

 

_ - _

 

Violet awoke to the gentle bear snores from Arthur, they were still intertwined together- albeit his leg was sticking out from the bed. Getting up just in time to see the sun peek over the horizon, her peaceful rise was soon interrupted by her stomach growling. 

 

Breakfast. 

 

That was the second thought to come to mind, the first being the man she laid with and the heavy arm that held her down. She slid under his arm, letting it down gently while pulling the blanket up to him and giving him a kiss on the forehead. 

 

Taking a look at the stash of clothes in the chest besides the bed, she picked up a patched dark blue button up and some old trousers. Slipping on the work boots she found, she left a neatly written note besides Arthur’s head and took his hat to help conceal her face. 

 

Giving herself a once over again in the cracked mirror in front of the basin, she did her best to look unrecognizable as she pulled Arthur’s hat further down the bridge of her nose. Satisfied, Violet left the apartment to find sustenance. 

 

-

 

Doing her absolute best to avoid any law enforcement or busy streets, Violet successfully managed to obtain basic breakfast items. Walking down narrow alleyways with hast, she made sure to be aware of her surroundings- every footstep, every sound made her weary and paranoid. 

 

When at last she turned the corner of the alley, a hand grabbed her elbow and Violet jerked her free elbow back in reflex. Her attacker caught her elbow and twisted it back around, causing Violet to squirm and try to turn her body to kick whoever it was holding her until she saw the familiar dark green eyes of her caretaker. 

 

“Esmeralda, my god. Do you  _ have _ to assault me like that?” 

 

Esmeralda looked at her sternly, brushing off Violet’s shoulders. “Violet, you’re such a fool. You’ve been gone so long I thought you were really done for this time! Your father has been worried sick, screaming at everyone to help find you!” 

 

The young girl was silent, looking down at her disheveled basket of food. “I know. I’m sorry. I just-“ she paused and looked around as if the walls had ears. 

 

“I don’t want this life father planned out for me, I want to do as mother did. Live freely and that’s what I’ve been doing the past days! Nothing dangerous, I swear!” 

 

Esmeralda’s scrutiny softened, cupping Violet’s cheek with a soft touch, “I know, I’m sorry,  _ tesoro.  _ But you cannot stay away forever, you know this. Come home, you know your best interests are always in my mind and you know I will always help you.” 

 

“Go now, wouldn’t want to keep whoever you’re cooking that for waiting, eh?” She gave a wink to Violet as she turned to walk the other way. “Make sure you’re home by tonight! Can’t take anymore of your father’s incessant whining.” 

 

Violet watched as Esmeralda gave a small wave as she walked away, leaving her to smile to herself and hurrying back to Arthur. 

 

-

 

_ Coming back soon, went to go get food. x Violet _

 

Arthur read the note just in time as Violet came through the door, his hat balancing on her head. She gave him a grin and walked past him to the small stove in the other room- prepping the pan to cook. 

 

“My hat looks pretty good on ya.” 

 

“It does, doesn’t it? Maybe I should keep it,” she winked at him, tipping the hat up with her finger. “Or you should just let me borrow it from time to time.” 

 

Arthur slipped on his pants and grabbed his shirt off the floor, walking to the table in front of the stove and taking a seat on one of the creaky wooden chairs. 

 

“Coffee?” Vi poured a cup of the rich liquid into a porcelain mug. He nodded and took a deep sip, letting the aroma enrich his sleepy body.

 

Cracking eggs over the stove, Violet took a look at the her reflection in the window. “Ya know, I could get used to this look. The hat really makes it.” 

 

“Tell you what, every time you have to go somewhere without me- I’ll let you borrow it, on the account that you bring it and you back to me safely.” 

 

Violet’s smile reduced slightly, turning back to her eggs and sausage. Frying them silently and serving them on a plate for both of them to eat. 

 

“I reckon it isn’t much, not as hearty as Pearson’s..” She began, watching him shovel the sausage into his mouth. “I’ll miss you all.” 

 

Arthur stopped, looking up at the young girl with the dreaded realization that she wasn’t supposed to stay with them forever. She was to go home. 

 

“Sorry, I forgot yours wasn’t a permanent stay. I reckon I’m still recovering from last night.” 

 

“My, what a compliment. I certainly won’t forget you either..” she began, drumming her hands on the table. 

 

“Come now, let’s not drag this on any more than it has to be.” 

 

-

 

Violet was adorned in a modest shawl and dress that she picked up from the chest of clothes in the apartment. She walked with Arthur to the main gates of her Saint Denis home. Greeted by several servants at the front, they all called for the head of the house- signaling her return. 

 

“Ah, sweet daughter!” Her father ran out, giving Vi a tight squeeze. “And not a scratch, perfect. You know, I almost sent your loving fiancé out to look for you! Oh, can you imagine  _ him _ out in those disgusting swamps-“ 

 

“He’s NOT my fiancé,” Violet hissed, eliciting surprise from her father and Arthur. Mr. Fleurille tightened his lips, the joy drained from his eyes and he turned to Arthur to shake his hand. 

 

“I’m so sorry for my daughter’s sour mood. Seems a few days away from home made her a bit on edge, hm?” He laughed nervously, ”And your reward, it’s inside. Please come in!” 

 

He led them both to his office, a grand looking room with bookshelves from the ceiling to the floor. Taking out a key from his pocket, he opened up a lockbox to take wads of cash from it. 

 

“Two-hundred, five-hundred.. aaannd seven-hundred and fifty as promised. Actually, take this extra fifty as well! Now, I have an urgent business matter to attend to. Your group is truly a group of professionals, I will keep you in mind if I have need of your services once more,” he smiled, shaking his hand once more before leaving the two and rushing off towards the back. “Escort him out won’t you, daughter?” He yelled back as he disappeared behind double doors. 

 

Violet put her hand on his back to guide him towards the exit, opening the double iron gates for him. Arthur walked out, whistling for his horse and turned to look at Violet once more. 

 

The gates were closed as soon as he stepped onto the street, and the little lady was behind them- looking outwards towards him with a mix of sadness and slight loneliness in her eyes. 

 

“Farewell, I pray that I meet you again,” she gave him a small smile.

 

“So do I, miss.”

 

He clicked his tongue and the horse began to go slowly down the road, looking back over his shoulder once more to see Violet- her hands gripped the gates as if they were prison bars and she the prisoner, a caged bird behind gilded bars. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys how’s it going? This one was extra long! Hope your days are going great and as always, kudos and comments are appreciated!


	7. Chapter Seven

A few days passed since Arthur returned one afternoon with the reward money in hand, turning it into the donation box without cutting a share for himself. He was quiet, carried on normally but his usually greets weren’t available for anyone in the camp except for the casual grunt of acknowledgement or the small nod. 

 

“Arthur, you’ve been like this for days. Don’t tell me it’s about that young woman,” Hosea broke Arthur’s concentration as he threw his cigarette in the swamp water. 

 

“I dunno..” Arthur scratched the back of his neck, “Something don’t sit right with me when I dropped her off, it’s like her father didn’t even care and she didn’t want to be there.” 

 

The aged outlaw laughed as he pulled up a chair to sit next to Arthur, both of them looking out towards the open water with the orange hues mixing with the dark water of the swamp. 

 

“I think we all knew she didn’t want to leave and I’ll be honest with you, both Dutch and I agreed that we would have let her stay because she reminds us of someone we once knew long ago.” 

 

“Oh? Who would that be?”

 

“Heh, you wouldn’t remember. You were too young. But you did meet her for a short while, haven’t seen her ever since then. Only rumors and whispers, mostly ghosts. Hope she’s doing okay,” he leaned back into the chair, sighing heavily. 

 

Arthur Morgan was uncomfortable, he began to shift in his seat and Hosea- whom was familiar with his mannerisms by heart like a father would- placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

 

“You liked her didn’t you?” 

 

The silence followed with a slight nod was all that Hosea needed to confirm this. 

 

“She made me feel.. ah, forget it. I sound like a damn schoolboy,” Arthur looked away, leaning forward on his knees with his elbows.

 

“It’s important for all of us to find some sort of peace, Arthur. For you, that could be her. A light in your storm, she looks able enough to handle whatever life throws at you both.” 

 

“Hosea, she’s a noblewoman. She has chances at a life ten times better than what we're doing here. This ain’t no place for her!” He said as he looked at his father figure who stared back at him silently.

 

“Then let me ask you this, if she was willing to throw away everything for you.. what would you do?” 

 

Arthur pondered for a moment and as he opened his mouth to respond, a distant call from Pearson signaled for the gang to gather for supper. 

 

-

 

Violet brushed through her hair, tangled from days of not properly combing through it. She managed to use her fingers to loosen the tangles of her hair, Esmeralda stood behind her while scoffing at a stray leaf she plucked from the bundle of Violet’s tresses. 

 

“I’m guessing someone had fun, eh?” Esmeralda teased, rubbing oil on her ward’s hair. “So, you still haven’t told me who the gang you stayed with are like. What’s their names? Any handsome men you wanted to run off with?” 

 

Vi laughed, smacking Esmeralda’s hand softly to which she responded with a cheeky grin appearing on her tanned olive face. Her caretaker’s eyes were a brilliant shade of forest green speckled with hazel flecks, when she smiled the flecks shone through like a topaz embedded in lush shrubbery. 

 

“Only if you tell me where  _ you’ve _ been! Father said you were gone for a week, claiming you were looking for me! Now we both know that’s a lie.”

 

“Ah,  _ tesoro _ I knew you would’ve been fine on your own. Besides, I had urgent business I needed to finish. And I didn’t need your nosy father knowing my business, now, your turn. Tell me about this group.” 

 

“I’m surprised father didn’t tell you,” she said as she placed her head in her hands on her vanity. 

 

“Psh, he wouldn’t let me within a mile of his damn office.” 

 

“Well, they call themselves the van der Linde gang and-  _ OW,”  _ Violet yelped as her hair was tugged roughly, looking up at her caretaker with annoyance- only to see Esmeralda look a bit wide-eyed and distant for a short moment before reverting back to her formal face. 

 

“You were saying?” 

 

Violet frowned, “I was saying before feeling my hair ripped from my scalp, that they found me. Father hired them to help me but they took a bit too long, so I tried helping myself. I would’ve left them sooner but..” 

 

A small blush crept onto her cheeks and she felt Esmeralda’s stare bore into her deeper, “There’s a man.. I met him at that party at Bronte’s. I don’t know. He just seems fascinating, he’s handsome too Esme! You would approve.” 

 

“Oh? What’s his name?” 

 

“Arthur Morgan. A strong name, don’t you think?” 

 

Esmeralda brushed silently, looking at the radiant smile gracing Violet’s plush lips. “Yes,” she replied, “I reckon he’s equally as strong.”  

 

Violet only responded with another lovestruck grin.

 

-

 

“Arthur, this is for you,” Mary-Beth handed him a sealed letter. “She isn’t worth the trouble, if you ask me.” 

 

He thanked her and made quick work of opening the letter. 

 

Mumbling to himself, he began to read, “My dear Arthur..” 

 

-

 

Violet sat at the garden of her home in Saint Denis, looking upon the flowers planted in swirling patterns on the yard. 

 

She was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. 

 

She didn’t have to turn around, she already knew who it was by the sound of their impeccably clean leather boots and the way they clapped against the stone pathway; the scent of overpowering musky cologne began to envelop her like a thick mist.

 

“Liam Hayes, to what do I owe the pleasure,” Violet deadpanned without turning her head to greet him. 

 

“I just wanted to see my lovely fiancée, is that so bad?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Mary Linton’s voice-   
> “Oh, Arthur.” 
> 
> Anyways, kudos and comments are always appreciated! And have a good day/evening/night~


	8. Chapter Eight

“I’ve brought you flowers,” Liam handed her a bouquet of dainty violets mixed in with white marigolds that overshadowed the purple hues. “Your favorite and mine, of course.” 

 

Violet took the bouquet, feeling the velvety petals between her fingers, “Just because I was named after the flower, it doesn’t mean they’re my favorite. But the gesture is noticed and appreciated.” 

 

She looked up to see Liam kneel down in front of her; Liam was handsome, no doubt about it. Carried himself like a true New Yorker boy with his suave clothing and a shadow of a beard thinly masking his strong jawline. 

 

He swept back his dark brown hair and sighed, taking Violet’s hand. “I do wish you would make this easier for the both of us. I’m really trying here.” 

 

At that, her disdain wavered- he really was trying. He would constantly bring her some gifts, hoping it would be to her liking- but he didn’t know what she liked, how could he? She didn’t even bother telling him her favorite color. 

 

“Well, I was thinking we could go around town today? You and me, what do you say?” 

 

She was silent but finally gave him a small nod, taking his offered hand.

 

-

 

Arthur sighed, reading the letter for what seemed like the tenth or eleventh time- he had lost count at five. He felt like a fool helping this woman, but yet he couldn’t stop his body as it grabbed his hat and walked downstairs from his room to call for his horse. 

 

“Where ya going, Arthur?” Sadie asked as he walked briskly past her. 

 

“Uhh, Saint Denis. Got some errands to do, I won’t be long.”

 

She chuckled, “‘Errands’, sure. See you later Arthur.” 

 

“By the way, if you see Charles and Kieran on the way there, tell them to hurry up. I’m hungry as hell,” Sadie said as she walked away. 

 

-

 

“You know these moving pictures are really quite something, I once knew a man named Louis Le Prince. He was from France, he actually came up with the idea way before Edison even conceived it!” Liam chattered as Violet walked besides him, listening to the facts and stories he had to tell. To his credit, Liam had great stories. 

 

They took a walk around town, looking at shops and eventually stopping to see a film- they were doing activities any couple would be doing. But to Violet, he was a stranger still. Though a handsome and interesting stranger, much like-

 

“Violet!” Liam yelled as he grabbed her by the arm, tugging on her sleeve to take her into his arms. A carriage rode by her, barely brushing against her dress and staining it with mud. “Are you okay?!” 

 

She looked up to see him look down at her with concern and the smell of his cologne filled up her nose once more. “I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention..” she pulled away from him and brushed off the dust that littered the front of her dress. 

 

“I’m just glad I caught you in time, but your dress.. let’s go see if we can fix that!”

 

“No, no it’s fine I promise. I can just-“ 

 

“I’m not taking no for an answer, I offered to take you out on this date so I will take full responsibility,” he offered his arm and for once Violet gave him a legitimate smile. 

 

“I think the tailor’s is this way, the chap working there is nice enough.” 

 

They walked towards the shop, turning the corner into the garden plaza. Entering the shop, they were greeted by an ecstatic shopkeep. 

 

“The lady got some dirt on her dress, is there a way to remedy that? Or shall we just buy a new one.”  

 

“I definitely could, but may I recommend some of my new collections that we just received? Maybe the lady will take a liking to them?” The owner gestured towards three dresses on a pedestal. 

 

Violet’s attention was brought to the one in the middle; a simple black skirt with a dark purple chiffon long sleeve. Liam watched her make eye contact with the dress in the middle and turned towards the owner, “I’ll go ahead and take the one in the middle, and is it possible to deliver the dirty dress back to her home?” 

 

“Lovely choice and of course, I can have that arranged. My lady, do you mind changing in that room over there?” 

 

After taking the necessary measurements, Violet tried on the dress- giving a small twirl in front of the mirror then walking out to see Liam turn around and gave a low whistle. “You look so beautiful,” he smiled at her and she couldn’t help but to smile back. 

 

Thanking the owner and leaving the cash on the counter, they left the store to walk towards the main street. 

 

“Thank you for that, you didn’t have to.. but I do appreciate it. The dress is lovely.” 

 

“Of course, anything for you. There is one thing missing though,” he said as he reached in his front coat pocket to pull out an almost immaculate violet flower and tucked it behind her ear. “There, now it’s perfect.” 

 

She couldn’t help but laugh at his gesture and at his accomplished grin that he finally made her smile today. “You silly man, well, what else should we do today?” 

 

“Let’s grab something from the saloon and take a walk around the pier?” 

 

“Sure, sounds like a fine idea.” 

 

“I’ll go see what they have inside, wait for me here?” He gave her arm a light squeeze before heading inside the saloon. 

 

She waited, leaning against a corner and as she turned- Violet collided with a body. 

 

“Damn it, what the hell’s your- oh.”

 

Violet looked up to see Arthur’s eyes look down on her with a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, miss.” 

 

She smiled, “It’s quite alright, sir. Running errands for the camp?” 

 

“Erm, something like that,” he looked away, not making eye contact with her.

 

“Well.. how long will you be in Saint Denis for this errand?” 

 

“I don’t rightly know, to be honest with you.” 

 

There was a distant glaze in his eyes and Violet felt uncertainty cloud her mind- he was doing his best to avoid looking at her. Only when she called his name softly did he slowly turn his head to look at her and let out a sigh as if he was holding his breath. Arthur didn’t know how long the gang would stay holed up in Shady Belle, nor how long until they grab the money they need and he would leave Saint Denis- and Violet, behind.

 

“Here,” he took off his hat and offered it to her, “As a sign of good faith I’ll come say bye to you ‘fore I finish up here today.” 

 

She took his hat and held it in front of her chest, regardless of his action he could only give her a half-hearted smile and departed without another word. 

 

Liam came out with a bottle, warm beef wrapped in pastries, and candy bars in hand, looking at the hat that Violet had now adorned on her head. 

 

“Oh, well, that’s new but it looks good on you!” He offered his compliment and Violet adjusted her hat, taking the Violet flower from behind her ear and wrapping the stem around the rope tied around the hat- securing it in. 

 

“Let’s go then, shall we?” 

 

-

“I’m begging you, Arthur..” she ran after his retreating figure, clasping her hands as she called for him, “I know Daddy was not kind to you, but- but surely you cannot hate a man for the sin of loving his daughter and wanting better for her than.. than-“

 

“Than me?” Arthur growled, stepping towards her.

 

“Than the choices you make!”

 

“What choice did I have?” He retorted, “Did I  _ ever  _ have?!” 

 

Mary threw her hands up in desperation, “Oh, I know. You had to live by your code, but your code is..well it’s not right.” 

 

“Has your way been right, Mary?” Spite dripped from his tone, the old anger he tried so hard to conceal creeped up over him like a dark shroud. “With you, and Jamie joining a bunch of crazies and hypocritical Daddy with his drinking and whoring and gambling? Huh?” 

 

He continued to berate her as she looked almost ready to cry out of frustration, “Is that what a pure life has gotten you? Begging me for help?” 

 

“Oh, Arthur, be  _ kind  _ to me,” she begged and Arthur exhaled sharply through his nose. “Please.” 

 

His temper flared then died down, looking at the woman he was once engaged to and took a seat on the stone steps of the hotel. 

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. As they sat in silence for a couple minutes, a lady with a basket of flowers hurried past them- leaving the scent of florals hang in the air and for a brief moment he thought of another woman, a woman with a kind smile and red lips. 

 

-

 

Liam and Violet stood near the rail overlooking the pier, the open sea was vast and the smell was salty. They finished up the bottle of cider along with their snacks, they now spent the remaining time to talk and get to know each other. 

 

“Well, Miss Violet this was a delight. But I have some business I must discuss for-“ 

 

“For your business, I assume? It’s quite alright. It’s why our fathers want us to marry without our consent, so I guess it’s important to keep it afloat.” 

 

Liam’s eyes glazed over for a brief second, hurt twisting his face as he stayed silent and Violet instantly regretted her venomous attitude. 

 

“I’m sorry, Liam. This was amazing but I’m just..” 

 

“I understand your frustration, I truly do. I felt the same for a brief moment before I was introduced to you formally,” he took her hands and held it up to his lips to kiss, looking at her with warm brown eyes. “But when I saw you, I immediately wanted to know you more and I thought to myself that this arrangement wouldn’t be so bad.” 

 

Her gaze softened and he lowered her hands, “Come on, I’ll take you home.” 

 

“Ah, if it’s alright with you I’d like to sit here a while and contemplate something,” she gave him her best smile and he nodded. 

 

“I’d usually reject that notion of leaving a lady behind, but your father tells me how adventurous you are,” he laughs as he gives her another kiss on the hand before departing with a wave. 

 

Violet waved back and watched as he disappeared down the busy street, closing her eyes and feeling the breeze hit her face. Tipping the hat up, she walked down towards the train station and saw a horse with a familiar soft chestnut coat and pristine white tail.

 

And just beyond the horse was it’s owner, walking briskly towards the station and disappearing behind a corner. 

 

Her heart jumped excitedly as she quickened her pace to catch up, thinking of what to say when she comes to him. As she approached the station, she heard him speak which made her slow down and it was the voice of another woman that her completely stop.

 

“Is it too late for us, Arthur?” The female voice asked. 

 

“I can’t lie to ya,” Arthur’s voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke, “I’m a wanted man, Mary. If I- if anyone close to me, we’ll they’re wanted too and I can’t have you wrapped up in that. But it’s coming to an end, this time it really is.”

 

Violet couldn’t tear herself from this, she knew this was a private conversation but her feet suddenly was as heavy as lead and her heart seemed to drag her down as well. 

 

“Run away with me, Arthur. Run away right now, and don’t look back..” 

 

“I want to, more than anything I want to.. but I’ve got some people I need to take care of. Once they’re free, then I’m free,” he stopped to breathe and exhale. “Then I can disappear.” 

 

“But, Arthur.”

 

“If we’re gonna run away anywhere, we’d need money and soon, I’ll have some.” 

 

The sound of a cable rail came rambling down over the tracks and Violet forced herself to move. Taking the hat off her head and stopping by his horse. She gave the horse a soft pat on it’s neck as she placed the hat gently on the saddle,brushing her fingers through the soft groomed hair of the animal- she bade her goodbye and continued to walk down the street, ignoring the threat of tears stinging her eyes as she held her head up high. 

 

Arthur turned the corner just as she left, approaching his horse with a light heart and pretty thoughts of Mary floating around in his head. As he got closer to his trusty animal, he noticed his hat perched atop his saddle. 

 

And a dainty violet flower whose petals were now more torn and withered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had three tabs opened of facts/etiquette and gun techniques in the late 1890’s ever since I started writing this lmao. As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	9. Chapter Nine

_ Sisters,  _

_ Our flower is growing nicely in our garden, if only you all were here to watch it bloom.  _

_ Yours truly, Esmeralda.  _

 

_ - _

 

Esmeralda sat back, tapping her finger on the oak desk of her room. Looking out the window to see Violet sitting in the garden, quietly reading and not touching the small cakes that she had put out earlier. She had been like that for a couple of days, silent and slightly on edge. Peculiar was the fact that she allowed visits from Liam more often, asking strange questions concerning the layout of their father’s joint business that he was reluctant to answer. He gave in, but only provided vague answers to which she nodded silently and staring off into space afterwards.

 

Reaching down to grab the clock off of her desk, she read the time to herself before sighing. Getting up to go to her wardrobe and opening the double doors, she slid the false panel off of the back and looked at the two pistols and clothing laid neatly next to each other. 

 

Resting atop the pistols was an old picture of a woman with a key wrapped around; her hat tipped low to where you could barely see the mischievous glint in her eyes, long hair braided to her side, and her mouth in an upturned smirk donned with dark lipstick. 

 

“I promised you I would protect her, but I’m afraid she’s just gonna be as wild as you..” she walked towards the window with the picture in hand, to see Violet standing up to walk back into the house. 

 

“After all, she is your daughter.”

 

-

 

“I’m going out again, can you cover for me?” 

 

Esmeralda pinched the bridge of her nose, “My love, this is the third night this week that you snuck out. You know your father-“

 

“Wouldn’t be hurt by what he doesn’t know, I’ll be fine!”

 

“Ugh, stubborn mule. Your mother was just as hard headed.” 

 

Violet grinned and before she turned to sneak away, Esmeralda whistled to get her attention, “Tell me something, what do you remember of your mother?” 

 

The girl stopped and looked at her caretaker with a raised eyebrow, “Mmmm nothing much, just things here and there. She taught me that I always shoot when I exhale and to hold the horse with your thighs not your legs.. and you of course, with a whole other bunch of women that always traveled with us- why?” 

 

“Just asking, love. Have fun tonight and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” 

 

-

 

Saint Denis always had a smog of heavy summer air surround it, no matter what the weather. But tonight it seemed unusually cold as Violet flipped her collar up to conceal her face even more with the tip of the hat barely above her brows. 

 

Just a couple paces away from her was two men in black suits and slicked back hair with guns- mean, tough looking men with a permanent grimace etched onto their tan faces. 

 

“ _ Cazzo,  _ how long do we have to be out here for?” 

 

“As long as boss says so, now shut up!” 

 

She hid behind the wall, observing the two as they continued walking towards the cemetery- checking behind every tombstone with guns poised to shoot.

 

It’s been a few nights since Violet noticed Bronte’s men scouting out the graveyard in the dead of night where no one dared to enter in a supposedly haunted area. A couple of whispers under the cover of shadow, shady dealings with blood money being exchanged, and men’s lives being wagered or thrown away happened here in this graveyard- and Violet made a point to investigate as much as she could. 

 

“Let’s hurry, the meeting might be over soon and we’ll miss all the good stuff.” 

 

The men quickened their pace and so did Violet as she scurried from cover to cover, being careful not to disturb the graves. 

 

“Hurry up, will you? This place is disgusting,” a thick Italian accent angrily shouted and footsteps hurried faster towards the sound. 

 

“How many times will I tell you until you actually fucking do something about it? If we turn them in, that’ll be more money in our pockets, my friend. Their dirty heads alone cost five thousand each!”

 

Violet knew that voice all to well, the voice of that greasy snake Angelo. 

 

“No, no SHUT UP. Don’t say a fucking word. Just.. get it done. If those dumb cowboys rob the station like I told them too, it’d be easier to make arrests and turn them in…” 

 

There was silence for a minute before he continued, “And get that fucking daughter of yours under control. You agreed to get this done, more money for both of us, and maybe I’ll set you up somewhere nice…” 

 

There was a sound of a hand clapping against someone’s body, “And maybe,  _ may-be…  _ I can arrange for the murder you committed to be forgotten- swept under the rug! How does that sound?” 

 

He laughed and clapped his hands, “After all, someone murdering the mother of their child is rather scandalous, no?” 

 

Violet felt her fingernails dig into her palms, as she heard the voice that spoke next. A voice she too recognized. 

 

“I understand what I have to do.” 

 

Her teeth gritted and her anger flared, she quickly fled the scene as quietly as she could and ran back at full speed to her house. 

 

-

 

_ Esmerelda, I’m leaving and you need to as well. Southeast of Saint Denis is a mansion, tell them to leave Saint Denis. Don’t trust my father.  _

 

Violet wrote the note hastily and placed it near Esmerelda’s head. Closing the door softly, she grabbed her suitcase and made her way down into the foyer running towards the front door and as her hand touched the knob of the door- a gun cocked behind her. 

 

She dropped her suitcase and put her hands up, turning around slowly to see her own father with the gun pointed at her. 

 

His face was red, his usually pristine suit was disheveled and stained with spots of blood and dirt. 

 

“I’m afraid you can’t leave, my dear.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I tried writing this while taking shots during the Christmas Eve party and then editing it while I had a hangover, it just be like that sometimes. Hope y’all had a great holiday season!


	10. Chapter Ten

Esmerelda dumped gunpowder in her shoulder wound, biting down on her lip as she stuck her heated knife to dig out the shell of the bullet that pierced her. Hissing as the smell of burnt flesh filled her nose, she felt her head going dizzy as she inhaled sharply. 

 

It was by the skin of her teeth that she dodged the bullet as she rode away at breakneck speed, barely having time to grab her belongings and leaping through her window to get away from the ruckus. Esmerelda crumpled up the note from Violet and threw it in the fire, looking up to see dim lights of dying fires in the distance. 

 

A mansion, southeast of Saint Denis just as she was instructed- where the infamous van der Linde gang resided.

 

-

 

Violet drifted in and out of consciousness, the last thing she remembered was looking at her father’s blood-stained face before the doors behind her burst open and a needle pierced her neck, injecting a foreign liquid into her as she stumbled to the ground with her vision blurred. 

 

At first she felt the ropes burn against her skin as she was tossed around in a stagecoach, then she awoke in a small cage with darkness surrounding her and the smell of moldy ground filling the room. 

 

Angelo kicked her roughly in the ribs and Violet groaned in response, rolling over on her back to see a man pull her up on her knees to face two figures shrouded in the darkness of her new prison. 

 

“Good morning my dear, finally up. Ah, you see,” he stepped into the cage and backhanded her face, “I need you to smile for me, that ugly expression of disgust won’t do.” 

 

“Angelo,” she hissed, spitting blood on his custom leather shoes which earned her a kick to the stomach. 

 

“Fucking crazy bitch, these are new. I expect you to lick the blood off later,” he growled as he held her face up with his hand, observing her ever present scowl. 

 

“A little birdie told me they saw you with those dirty cowboys that are causing ruckus in  _ my _ city. Now what were you doing with them, hmm?” 

 

Silence was her response. 

 

“Well, I need to know their location and maybe I’ll let you go. Forget that this ever happened-“

 

“Leave them alone, they’re just trying to live,” she looked up at him, her eyes steeled but pleading. “They’re good people.” 

 

“I could give less of a shit if they were nuns and priests, do you know how much their heads are worth?” 

 

“What can I do.. to change your mind? I’m telling you now, Bronte. My life is worth more than their deaths, this arranged marriage, business deals as a daughter of one of the most successful railroad and oil tycoons will cost much more because you will be getting a part of the deal as well. This offer is more lucrative in nature, that I promise you.”

 

When his rigid expression barely moved, Violet amped up her bargain, “I can also be your personal ally, if you need someone taken care of, something stolen..  or if you’re needing of.. company. I can also provide.” 

 

Violet wanted to throw up at her last words but this was all for the sake of ever seeing the sun again, she almost gagged when she saw Angelo’s face lighten up slightly. 

The Italian was silent as he circled her and hummed, “You’ve given me much to think about.” 

 

He exited the cage and motioned his men to follow him, leaving the other man to lurk in the shadow. 

 

Violet looked up, sneering, “Tell me, what did my mother’s face look like when you killed her, you goddamn coward?” 

 

Her father was silent and followed Bronte’s men, slamming the door shut behind him. 

 

-

 

“Who goes there?” John called out to the darkness when he heard the subtle rustling of leaves. From the shadows, two piercing green eyes stared back at him and if they didn’t stand at his eye length he would’ve assumed they belonged to a wild cat. 

 

“Little boy Marston, you’ve actually grown!” Esmerelda smiled as she stepped from the growth with her hands up. “As much as I would love to catch up and ask how’s everything, I need a favor.. take me to Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews immediately.” 

 

“It’s past midnight, I’m sure they’re sleeping. And besides, I wouldn’t take a total stranger to them.” 

 

“Ohh.. Johnny boy. You wound me, you used to sit on my lap as I cleaned my rifle,” she purred as she stepped closer, making John step back. “Now. Dutch and Hosea.  _ Please.”  _

 

_ “ _ No, get the hell out or I’ll be forced to-“ 

 

Esmeralda landed a swift punch to his stomach, making him double over and quickly discarded his rifle- slinging it over her shoulder as she grabbed the pistol from his holster and aimed the barrel at his back. 

 

“I didn’t wanna do this, but I do  _ NOT _ have time to waste. Start walking,  _ now,”  _ she growled, and John reluctantly marched towards Shady Belle. 

 

-

 

As they approached, Charles and Kieran watched John stumble awkwardly towards the mansion, his hands up and his face plastered with a sour expression. 

 

It was only till he passed the barricades that they saw the woman behind him with a gun at his back and they immediately got up to approach the two. 

 

“What is this, who are you?” Charles said as his hand hovered his tomahawk. 

 

Esmerelda clicked her tongue, “Too many questions, boy. I need to see your beloved leader.” 

 

She was met with silence and Esmerelda’s eyes narrowed, sighing loudly. 

 

“Fine. You boys keep making it difficult for me so I will have to return the favor.”

 

Esmerelda aimed the pistol at the sky and shot three times, enough to have everyone scrambling to grab their guns and run towards the noise. The balcony doors split open and a sleepy Dutch came rambling through with Hosea in tow. Arthur came last, his hands ready to fire on a repeater. 

 

“Dutch van der Linde, Hosea Matthews. What a pleasure to see you again,” Esmerelda gave them a friendly wave, even with the pistol still held at John’s back.

 

“Esmerelda Fernández.. what the hell are you doing,” Dutch rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

 

“I’ve come to ask-“ 

 

“You have the audacity to ask us a favor after all these- these  _ years? _ Showing up in the dead of night with one of our boys held up at gunpoint by  _ you,”  _ Dutch’s voice shrilled at the end, his hands gripping the rails of the balcony. 

 

She stayed silent, looking up at the two old men and at Arthur who had his rifle fixated on her ever since she announced her arrival. Breathing in deeply, Esmerelda placed the gun back at John’s holster and gave him a gentle push to the side as she got on one knee. 

 

“I swear to god. I will repay this debt with whatever money or life I have. I just need help savin-“ 

 

“Forget it, go home Fernández,” Hosea called as they all turned to enter the mansion. 

 

Esmerelda’s heart dropped, biting her lip, she closed her eyes and screamed, “DUTCH, HOSEA, PLEASE.” 

 

At this point, tears born of rage and desperation started to pierce her green eyes as she looked up at them with ferocity fueling her every word, “The old gang haven’t responded to my letter, there’s no one else I can turn to. I-I need help, I need to save Violet.” 

 

Arthur dropped his rifle, pushing his way to the front, “Violet? You mean-“ 

 

“Violet Fleurille, you’ve met before,” Esmerelda stood up. “She is the daughter of Irene Steele.” 

 

Murmurs were heard amongst the gang as they all collectively lowered their guns. 

 

“Irene Steele.. where have I heard that name before?” 

 

“I heard that name belonged to a woman who rode around in the west with an all woman gang- the Western Wraiths, I think, with her right hand being-“ 

 

“ _ The  _ Esmerelda Fernández? You’re her?” Javier exclaimed, tipping his hat in respect to her. “Man, I’ve heard stories as a kid in Mexico, I can’t believe I’m meeting up with an actual legend!” 

 

“Fellow countryman, eh? _ ,”  _ she gave him a small smile before turning her attention back towards Dutch. 

 

“Well.. what are you asking of us,” He asked. 

 

“Violet was taken by men under the employment of her father, I assume it’s not for a friendly vacation to California. She told me to warn you to not rob the station in Saint Denis..” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“Because Angelo Bronte knows the price on your heads and he set you up with a false job to get the law on your tail, that was the last thing Violet wrote before she was kidnapped.” 

 

They were silent for a while before she spoke again, “I wouldn’t ask you for help if my sisters responded, but if I wait any longer for a letter- Violet- she.. she might not be so lucky to escape this time.” 

 

“Tell me,” Hosea leaned against the rail, “How is Irene these days? She still the wild soul we once knew?” 

 

Esmerelda’s eyes turned dark as she answered, “She’s dead. A gunshot to the head-executioner style. I had a feeling it was her father but now that this happened, I can be absolutely sure it was his doing.” 

 

The camp was silent as the three outlaws made their way from the balcony down to meet her face to face, they stood in a semi-circle surrounding the woman. 

 

“Her last wish was to keep Violet safe,” Esmerelda started, hand over her heart. “I could care less what happens to me, but Violet- you need to keep her alive.” 

 

Dutch met her gaze as she looked fearlessly into the depths of his eyes, “If not for me.. then for Irene. She’s helped you more than once. The last thing Irene wanted was her daughter to be kept alive and free, isn’t that what you all want as well?” 

 

The black-haired outlaw sighed and turned to his own posse. 

 

“Ladies, gentlemen, saddle up! We’ve got work to do!” 

 

-

 

In a dark dank cell, locked up in an unknown area, Violet sat with her back against the brick wall. The ground she sat upon was moist enough to imprint images on with the dim gaslight was only strong enough to focus on small areas. The drought in her throat was made apparent when she tried breathing in the moisture of the air, wishing it would turn to water on her tongue. Her finger made circles in the dirt, drawing a small portrait of a man with messy hair kept under a cowboy hat. Immediately after she caught herself subconsciously drawing him, Violet swept the dirt away with her hand- erasing him entirely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate hangovers, I don’t know why I do this to myself. I hope your holidays were fun and that your New Years is great too. As always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


	11. Chapter Eleven

_ “I can’t force this life on her, she must choose for herself. The life of an outlaw.. it’s rough and saps you of all spirit, but it’s liberating and has it’s own special kind of rewards.”  _

 

_ “Then what will you do?”  _

 

_ “... I will go see if her father wants to see his own child.”  _

 

_ “Irene, my love, that man- he-“  _

 

_ “I cannot force my daughter to live this life, I want to give her opportunities I’ve never had. A proper education, a mansion to live in with hot food every night- that’s something to look forward to.. and, if she hears the call of the wild again to want to become part of the gang, she knows where to find us.”  _

 

_ Irene gave her lifelong friend a warm smile, “Will you make sure to keep her safe? When I am no longer able to myself?”  _

 

_ Esmerelda took her hands and wrapped them with hers, “I swear it, mí corazon.”  _

 

_ - _

 

Esmerelda woke up to noises akin to and pans being thrown onto the ground, she grumbled as she wiped her eyes- getting up to see what the commotion was about. 

 

“Damn it Bill, you’re drunk. Can you go be an idiot somewhere else?” 

 

“I don’t understand why we gotta help these goddamn women every damn time. We’ve been up for  _ days  _ looking for any fucking clue-“

 

Bill stopped when Esmerelda walked into the scene, looking at the mess strewn about with an angry Bill in the center of it- with drink in hand.

 

“You,” he began to walk towards her and took out his knife, pointing it at her. “Come here, you Mexican bitch!” 

 

“Williamson, stop-“ Arthur began to stride towards Bill but Hosea put his arm up to stop him, giving him a tiny shake of his head. 

 

Bill continued, throwing his bottle on the ground in front of Esmerelda’s unwavering figure and the glass shattered- a stray glass cutting her forearm. 

 

She looked up from the bead of blood running towards the ground from her arm and she looked up, an expression of minor annoyance was clear on her face. As he came rambling towards her, gripping his knife clumsily and making a weak jab at her- she caught his fist and brought her other hand forward right on his nose. The sound of Bill’s nose crunching as she dislocated the bone sickened Arthur as he watched the woman disarm Bill and slam his face down on the dirt with his own momentum used against him 

 

Getting up slowly, she placed a boot on his head- pinning his face down as he struggled to get her boot off of his head but gave up as she gave a kick to his reaching hand and dug the heel into his head more. 

 

“Struggle again and I’ll slam your face into the broken glass,” she hissed to him. 

 

Esmerelda turned up to see everyone who watched the scuffle play out, holding out her hands she called out to the onlookers, “Does anyone else want to fight this  _ Mexican bitch?  _ No?” 

 

She knelt down and lifted Bill’s head, “If you’re gonna complain again, I suggest you do it while sober and in private,  _ comprendé?”  _

 

With that she walks towards Hosea and Arthur who just finished their morning coffee. 

 

“Your gang needs more discipline, old man,” Esmerelda grumbled as she poured herself a cup of coffee, inhaling the fresh brew. “It’s been days.. I hope my girl is okay.” 

 

Arthur put his cup away, turning towards the woman, “Violet is a strong girl, she’s smart too. I’m sure she’s doing okay.”

 

As she opened her mouth to answer, galloping was heard behind the group- making them turn around to see Charles and Sadie riding back at an impressive speed. They halted their horses and hopped up, running towards Esmerelda with a satchel in hand. 

 

“We think we found something, Angelo’s men were trying to transport something out of the city- but we got them in the swamp,” Charles spoke, almost out of breath with Sadie breathing hard next to him. 

 

She grabbed the satchel and reached for the envelope with the red wax seal closing the folds together. Unsheathing her knife, she cut the seal and read the contents; her eyes went back and forth between the sentences written on the paper. 

 

“Well? What is it?” 

 

“A wedding invitation,” Esmerelda answered.

 

-

 

Violet watched as Angelo circled her like a hawk, watching as multiple women fixed up her hair and put rouge on her cheeks. 

 

Waving the women away when he was satisfied with how she looked, twirling a piece of her hair in between his fingers and bringing it up to inhale the floral perfume permeating from her tresses. 

 

“This is a nice change of pace in opposed to that dirty cage, hm?” He stood in front of her with his hands clasped in front of him. 

 

If only Violet could grasp his neck with her hands, but she could only move them slightly to rattle the chains that they were wrapped in. “Be a good girl, our guest has arrived,” he grabbed Violet by the back of her neck and pushed her against the window to force her to look outside to see the stagecoach just arriving. 

 

The door opened and out stepped a man donned in a dark blue coat over his grey suit with a top hat covering his face. As Violet struggled against him, he only moved her face to watch as the man took off his top hat to reveal a mass of dark brown hair. 

 

“Liam,” her voice cracked, her breath fogging up the glass in front of her.

 

“You boys want me to get married that soon?”

 

“Hush, if you don’t behave yourself-“

 

“You’ll lock me in your basement again?” She laughed and Angelo slammed her forehead against the thick glass of the window. 

 

“I know you can handle that, my dear, but I’m not so sure that  _ he  _ can,” Angelo move her neck to look down at the balcony below them and the two men in suits positioned; one standing and the other crouched with a sniper rifle looking towards the stagecoach. Violet’s eyes followed the direction of the rifle and watched in silent horror as it synchronized with Liam- moving every time he stepped around or stopping when he stood still. The man standing up looked up at Angelo, waiting for a signal and when he held up a hand as if to signal to hold. Violet’s breath hitched when his thumb flexed down and there was four fingers left.

 

“Now, will you cooperate and be a good girl?”

 

_ Three fingers left.. _

 

How easy would it be to see Liam get shot and Violet would butt her head back and break Angelo’s nose then proceed to wrestle her chains around his neck to choke him out. 

 

_ Two fingers left..  _

 

How easy would it be then to take his pistol and then shoot at the chains, break through the doors and find a way out like she always does. 

 

_ One finger left..  _

 

But Liam. His smile when he presented her with flowers and the way his eyes are only ever present with her.. 

 

“Alright!” Violet yelled out as his last finger began to fold, “I’ll play your damn game. No funny business from me.” 

 

Angelo waved at the two men and made a thumbs down motion, they nodded and walked back inside the building with the rifle. 

 

“I knew you wouldn’t let your precious fiancé die. I had my spies tell me of that lovely evening you had out in Saint Denis. Cute couple, heh.”

 

He let go of her head and left her to turn around to look at him with burning scorn, “Yes! That’s the look! That’s the look  _ I  _ wanted when you finally realize that  _ I  _ am the one in control here!”

 

His smile disappeared as he approached her, hand grazing her neck, “If you do attempt any kinds of tricks.. I will personally make it my goal to hunt down that dirty cowboy that you slept with and cut off his head along with everyone else you care about.”

 

Angelo retracted his hand, amused with himself as he watched her eyes fill up with rage towards him- rage that she would have to let go if she wanted Liam and Arthur to still be able to live another day.

 

“Compose yourself, dear. Then come down to greet our guest.”

 

The door shut and Violet watched as Liam made his way towards the entrance, not having the slightest idea that his life would’ve ended via a sniper’s bullet. 

 

It took everything she had to not cry and break everything in the room, this was turning out to be quite a predicament. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years! Hope it was good for you guys :) Eleven chapters in and I never thought I would have people supporting my work like this so it wows me everytime, so.. thank you!


	12. Chapter Twelve

“Violet, you look a little thin, are you-?” Liam stopped when she set down her teacup a little too forcefully.

 

“I’m fine, Liam. I just haven’t been feeling well the past couple of days,” she answered him with a firm smile.

 

He cleared his throat and gave her his best smile while he poured her more tea, “It’s- ah- bit colder here than it is in Saint Denis isn’t it? Reminds me a little of New York.”

 

Violet looked around them; they were sitting in an extravagant garden on a cliff side looking at a large river with a forest taking up most of the land on the other side and just a little ways from the river was an ocean. It was new country to her and even if she made a break for it now, she wouldn’t have any idea where she would run to.

 

“I’ve been informed the wedding is gonna be sooner than we think, I’m not quite sure they wanna speed this up.. but-“

 

He stopped and Violet looked over to him as his eyes sparkled and there was a slight blush to his cheeks as he spoke, “I’m really happy.. to be here with you. You’re honestly one of the best women I’ve ever known and even- even if we didn’t start off great. I want you to know that I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you happy and cared for.”

 

“But first- let me make sure I do this properly because I’ve never had the chance to.”

 

Liam stood up, shrugging off his coat and placing it over Violet’s shoulders as he got down on one knee in front of her- taking a small box out of his pocket, “I know this might seem stupid.. and I may be- but, Violet . I look forward to having the pleasure of your company for the rest of your life. Now will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

 

Opening the box to reveal a silver ring with a large diamond cut in the middle of two small amethysts with a brilliant purple sheen. Together, they glistened under the rays of light that flashed through the gazebos roof.

 

Violet couldn’t help but chuckle and nod, “Yes, you silly man. Of course! Don’t make me regret agreeing to this, Liam Hayes.”

 

She couldn’t help but reflect his enthusiastic grin when he slid the ring over her finger, pointing out the two purple gemstones, “See these? I got these because they remind me of the bouquet I got you when we went on our date. Custom-made from New York! When your father told me the date was moved up so suddenly, I had to go up there to fetch it myself fearing it would take too long otherwise.”

 

Liam was beside himself as he took a seat and leaned back, a look of content gracing his handsome features but slowly faded as he watched Violet’s eyes glaze over. He leaned forward and covered her hand with his, his thumb grazing the ring.

 

“Look.. if this is too soon, then I can talk to your father or Angelo. Tell them that-“

 

“No!” Violet almost shouted but composed herself as she gripped his hand tighter- thinking of the words she needed to say to calm herself and evade this situation.

 

“On that date you took me to, it was amazing. I’ve never had a man who viewed me as his woman and his alone-“

 

_But Arthur looked at you in the same way._

 

Violet breathed in and got up, beckoning Liam to follow. They walked away from the garden and towards the cliff side to look at the river below. Turning towards him, she held her hand to his cheek.

 

_That’s over now, Arthur has that other woman and you have Liam._

 

“I want this. I want to be your wife.”

 

Liam looked so happy, his eyes crinkled when his mouth turned up to be a huge grin and as he tried sliding his hand into hers, a butler cleared his throat and motioned for Liam.

 

“Master Hayes, a word if you may?”

 

“Of course,” he responded with the practiced dignity of a future businessman. He turned towards Violet with a wink, “I’ll be back, Mrs. Hayes.”

 

She could only smile and wave to him as he walked away then finally taking a deep exhale as she looked down at the river, watching the water to see if the bottom was visible. Her eyes scanned the current, watching the rapids get even deeper as they spilled off into the sea. Violet already knew they were further north, far enough to see snow capped mountains and the air was far chillier than she was used to. Trying to make sense of her location, she looked down into the thick growth of forests- watching the tree lines when suddenly, a reflection of light caught her eyes.

 

It shined for a minute and disappeared, Violet frowned as she squinted her eyes- wondering if the stress was making her delusional and seeing things. Then suddenly, she saw two glints of light. If anything, those almost looked like light shining off of glass.

 

-

 

“It’s her! Take a look!”

 

Arthur took Esmerelda’s binoculars and looked up to see Violet walk alongside the cliff, looking down and then to her left to see the ocean. Her eyes then started scanning the tree line where her head stopped moving when she looked in Arthur’s direction. His heart stopped for a moment, feeling her gaze penetrate him even at this distance.

 

Violet stared in his direction for a short moment before she turned her head as if answering a summon and walked off but not without giving another curious glance behind her shoulder.  

 

“We’re coming to save you, just hang tight,” Arthur muttered under his breath, giving back the borrowed binoculars.

 

“So, where would you even begin with this? The place is a goddamn fortress,” Sadie rose from the ground, discarding her cigarette.

 

Esmerelda looked at the the group, then towards Arthur with a devious expression, “I have a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates, I’ve been sick and feeling absolutely horrible.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

“She’s ready.”

 

Violet Fleurille stood in front of the mirror clasping her delicate bouquet of red roses and white carnations. She’s received many compliments on the flowers, but to her they just looked like blood blooming amongst the white petals. Her face was adorned with the typical makeup for brides sans the red lipstick she usually wore, it was a soft rosy pink that they rubbed on her lips instead. On the top of her head was a complex plaited braid that encircled her head with the rest of her hair in a high bun; fastened to her hair was a flower crown with pins holding them against her head along with the lace veil that hung behind her.

 

“Will you twirl for us?” The maids giggled and Violet obliged, picking up one side of her white silk dress with lace covering it in a soft sheen and gave them a small twirl.

 

“Wow.. I want a dress like that when I get married!”

 

Another maid slapped the one who spoke playfully, “As if you could afford that!”

 

They burst out in laughter and Violet gave them a small smile before turning back to the mirror, the itchy lace starting to irritate her slightly. The sleeves of her dress were tight against her arms and comprised of sheer lace that let much of her skin show, the low-cut corset underneath was tighter still and shown through the top layer of the dress with the bottom half being equally as form-fitting until the skirt reached her thighs as it flared out slightly. It was painfully obvious that this dress was meant to show off the wearer’s assets, whether for Liam.. or Angelo.. Violet shuddered at the thought of his disgusting eyes ravage her body in this dress, waiting to take advantage of her bargain. She tucked in her hair behind her ears as a silver sapphire earring dangled loosely moved when she accidentally flicked against it, Violet was adorned with jewelry that could probably pay for five horses.

 

Her hand grazed the golden locket she tucked inside her dress, a long lost memento from her mother- it was the closest thing she had to as an item to recite prayers to.

 

“My, my,” Angelo entered the room with her father in tow, his head held down and refusing eye contact. The maids stopped their chatter and assumed a rigid position, scurrying out of the room when Angelo pointed for them to leave. He stopped when he approached Violet, the back of his fingers grazing her cheek and Violet recoiled in disgust.  

 

“ _Mia bella_ , this dress looks fantastic on you! Don’t you think so?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, facing her father to which he only gave a small grunt before excusing himself and leaving the room.

 

“Ah, how rude,” he said with mock empathy before turning back to Violet, circling her like a vulture. “You look ravishing, _mia cara._ Remember, we need you on your best behavior if you don’t want little Liam to have his brains spilled on the ground.”

 

She couldn’t respond, in fear that the rage would make her say something unsavory so she just nodded. The actual union to Liam wasn’t the thing troubling her, the notion that she would basically be a pawn to this crook was what made her sick.

 

But she owed it to Liam as well as  Arthur and his gang to try and keep them safe from Angelo Bronte’s wicked reach, so she will play this part even if it revolted her.

 

-

 

The wedding venue was the exact definition of luxury with the garden being transformed with paper lanterns hanging on white fixtures and white roses dotting the garden hedges like stars. Smells of exotic spices wafted from the kitchen and infiltrated the guests’ noses as food was being prepared for the dinner and the finest of wine was poured into tall glasses; this was a celebration meant to be remembered as one of the finest events any guest has ever attended and damn did they do it well.

 

Music echoed through the mansion grounds and accompanied the chatter of plenty of blue-blooded guests from all parts of Europe and America- friends of Angelo or toadies wanting in on Angelo’s or her father’s good graces. Even from inside the mansion, getting ready to walk out onto the red carpet they laid out towards the altar- Violet could hear the sounds.

 

Breathing in and out to calm herself, gripping the bouquet with nervous anxiety shaking her hands. From behind a window, she peeked out towards the courtyard to see Liam in his black tuxedo- sleek and handsome as always. He had an elegant purple handkerchief tucked in his coat pocket, Violet noticed he started wearing more purple when he was with her- a small gesture but she couldn’t deny that it made her smile. Soon the guests started milling around, finding chairs to sit in and standing near the hedges to make sure they could see the bride walking.

 

Maids beckoned Violet as they both had their hands on the door to open, nodding to them- they opened the doors and the heads of all the guests turned to look. Not being a stranger to public events, Violet felt a slight flutter of anxiety before hearing words of wisdom go through her mind.

 

_If you look down, they will also look down on you. Look up, be proud. To show fear is to show an invitation to stoke their ego._

 

Gripping her precious flowers for courage, Violet lifted her chin high up- eyes looking straight ahead with unapologetic bravery.

 

The music started just as her heels hit the carpet, the crowd watching in quiet awe of the beautiful woman walking down the aisle towards the altar. Then there was Liam, who looked like he would tear up when his eyes met with Violet’s veiled face.

 

As she arrived at the altar, standing in front of Liam as the priest began to clear his throat.

 

“As we stand here today, to memorize the union of a man and woman-“

 

Angelo cleared his throat, “Eh maybe we could speed this up, I’m sure everyone here doesn’t want to hear all of that, am I right?” He chuckled and the crowd- not knowing what to do with his sudden outburst, chuckled along.

 

The priest, with widened eyes, sighed and continued, “Well, does anyone reject to this union? Say no or forever hold your piece..”

 

Silence.

 

Violet gripped her bouquet so hard that a lone thorn from a rose pricked the inside of her finger.

 

“Well, I now pronounce you-“

 

“ _I object!_ ”

 

An all too familiar voice she thought she wouldn't hear again cried aloud amongst the shock in the crowd. Violet looked up to look for him but was forced to duck as a large explosion blew up the side of the house, causing large splinters of burning wood to hit the gardens and catching the paper lanterns on fire.

 

“ _Cazzo,_ do something you useless imbeciles!”

 

The ensuing chaos was too much for Violet as the crowd rushed from their seats, forcing Liam to move with the stampede of panicked guests and taking him away from Violet. Liam continued to try and reach for her and as she she started towards him, a hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her towards them. Violet dropped her bouquet as she struggled against them, stopping only when she turned to see the comforting blue-green eyes of Arthur Morgan.

 

She was breathless, time almost stopping around them as her breath hitched as she searched his face- almost tempted to kiss him in the midst of the chaos of her failed wedding. As she watched his eyes look at her, his bottom lip opened invitingly and he almost dipped down to give her a quick peck on her lips before John came barreling at them and knocking both of them down to the ground as more explosions went off behind him.

 

“Morgan, we gotta GO.”

 

Arthur grumbled, brushing the dirt off his shirt and scrambled to get up- grabbing Violet and bring her up with him.

 

They broke into a sprint, Violet keeping her pace as she lifted up her dress to run as John and Arthur continued to shoot at any bodyguard blocking their way.

 

“Come on, Esmerelda’s out front!” Javier shouted as he ran up to them, breathless with his always perfect hair disheveled and ash spotting on his coat.

 

Violet opened her mouth to ask but decided to ask about everything later as a guard tried grabbing her from behind and picking her up over their shoulder until Arthur quickly dispatched him, the blood splattering all over her dress.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” She panted as she grabbed the rifle from the guard’s back. “Hurry! Let’s go!”

 

The three of them ran towards the front where all the guests tried scrambling into their stagecoaches and in the middle sat Esmerelda on a gaudy stagecoach that had a gold-leaf railing on the top as well as on the sides, at this Violet smirked- leave it to Esme to pick the most eye-catching vehicle.

 

Surrounding the stage coach was Dutch, Hosea, and Micah on one side; Charles, Sadie, Bill, and Lenny was on the other with three more horses. Arthur brought Violet to the stagecoach, lifting her up inside with her waist and then rushing to quickly mount his horse.

 

Esmerelda checked around her to see no one was left behind before cracking the whip and rushing out of the mansion grounds.

 

“Let’s ride! Stay with us!” She called out behind her as the posse behind them began to pick up the pace to make sure they surrounded the carriage for protection.

 

“Shit, they’re starting to come for us!” Bill looked behind him. “Start shootin’, Morgan!”

 

Gunshots began to echo in the air and Violet poked her head out of the window to see the entourage following them.

 

“Violet! Keep your head inside!” Dutch barked as he looked away from behind him to yell at Violet and she watched as a bullet pierced his arm. Dutch let out a loud groan, looking down to see the exit wound as he dropped his pistol from the pain.

 

“They shot Dutch! Kill these sons of bitches!” Micah yelled, shooting behind him with ferocity. Violet looked at the other side, watching another bullet graze Lenny’s arm- the blood leaving a line of crimson on his white shirt.

 

“I- I can’t get a good shot!” Sadie exclaimed in frustration, riding up next to Arthur.

 

“I’m doing my goddamn best here!” Arthur growled in response.

 

Violet knocked frantically towards the driver’s seat, “Esmerelda they’re getting shot at! I need to do something!”

 

“ _No, mi tesoro_. It’s too dangerous, they can handle themselves!” Esmerelda shouted back as Violet watched Hosea ride up next to Dutch with worried eyes. Turning back towards the repeater she took from the guard, she slung it over her shoulder, “I’m doing this Esmerelda, I can’t just stand here helpless!”

 

There was silence before she heard her chuckle, “You’re becoming more like your mother everyday.. fine. I trust you, love.”

 

Violet opened the coach doors, inching towards the sides and then hoisting herself up on the rooftop of the coach with the violent winds blowing her veil and gown. Arthur looked up to see Violet position herself atop the carriage, the moonlight illuminating her dress and hair, giving her an almost ghostly sheen- and with the gun slung behind her shoulder, she looked like a vengeful wraith floating elegantly between the dark forest.

 

“What are you doing?! Get back inside, you foolish woman!” Charles shouted over the rushing winds and Violet crouched on one knee to stabilize herself, untangling the veil from her hair and throwing it to the wind. Bringing her thumb and forefinger to her lips, a sharp whistle pierced the air, “HEY, over here!”

 

“It’s her! Angelo wants her alive, don’t shoot anywhere fatal!” The guards shouted as they spotted Violet.

 

“You want me alive?!” Violet shouted, reaching for the gun from her shoulder and cocking it.

 

_“Then come and get me!”_

 

Violet leaned into her rifle, shooting the man trailing Dutch and Hosea. She waited until the moon illuminated the heads of their pursuers before she let out another shot and watching the body dragged by the running horse. As the carriage ran through an open field, it was open season for them with Violet letting a flurry of bullets fly towards the guards, dispatching them with deadly practiced precision.

 

“Shit, she’s as good as you, Arthur,” John smirked at his brother and Arthur was silent, only watching as Violet was kneeling and firing- it was a beautiful sight. Her gun clicked empty and she scowled, throwing it aside and reached for Esmerelda’s pistol before a bullet grazed her cheek, the blood running down towards her mouth. She grimaced and took aim at the last two behind them, shooting one before Arthur turned and dispatched of the other. He turned back towards Violet and gave her a nod of approval before sheathing his pistol.

 

“I think that’s the last of them, dear. Good job,” Esmerelda smiled at Violet when she climbed over to take a seat next to her on the driver’s seat. “Hang tight, we’re almost there. I had a friend meet us here.”

 

The tree line soon grew sparse as they neared the beach with a wooden dock leading to a steamboat. A man leaning back on a chair quickly scrambled up when Esmerelda walked up towards the dock while helping Hosea walk Dutch onto the boat.

 

“We need to leave immediately,” she nodded to the captain and he responded with a grunt before running up to the main deck to start up the boat.

 

“That was.. quite something,” Arthur cleared his throat as he held out his hand for Violet. She took it tentatively as she lifted her dress slightly to climb down, “Yeah.. it was.”

 

There was silence between them as the group walked ahead of them and onto the boat. Violet looked towards the rest of them boarding and took hold of Arthur’s hand, “We should probably follow.”

 

Arthur let her lead him down the dock, the soothing waves was a nice change of pace in exchange for the sounds of weapons firing. As they both approached the ship, sounds of distant hooves stamping against the wood made everyone be on their guard as they pulled out their guns. Only until Violet yelled at them to put it away which they did so reluctantly as she recognized the dark brown hair and black tuxedo.

 

“Liam!” Violet turned towards him, almost forgetting herself as she smiled. “Liam, I-“

 

“Violet, what are you doing?” He deadpanned.

 

“Let me explain-“

He dismounted his horse, looking behind her to see Arthur frown- hand over his gun in a protective manner while his other hand was still holding onto Violet’s, “I always knew it’d be hard gaining your affection, but had I known someone else already had that honor..”  

 

He walked backwards and Violet started towards him, letting go of Arthur’s hand, “Liam, you don’t understand. I didn’t come here willingly, Bronte kidnapped me and threatened to kill you if I didn’t comply with his demands. You can come with us! I’ll keep you safe!”

 

Liam looked at her with forlorn eyes, gazing at her and thinking of a response when the sounds of shouting and galloping was heard at a distance.

 

“Liam, please, they’ll kill you if you stay here!” Violet begged him.

 

“I can’t, Violet, you know this. I can’t.”

 

The shouts and galloping became louder.

 

“Go, I’ll distract them. The least I can do is help you gain your own happiness,” he took her hands and brought them to his lips before gently pushing her back on the boat.

 

“Liam, Liam no! You can come with us, please, I can’t let you die!”

 

“Angelo will hurt my family if I run away, this is the least I can do to save them and help you.”

 

“You’re a good man for this, son,” Dutch said and Violet shook her head, denying Liam’s choice.

 

The boat began to let out steam as it’s engine started up and Violet reached out to grab onto Liam’s arm. With a painful expression, he ripped his arm away from her grasp.

 

“What’s your name?” He asked Arthur.

 

“Arthur Morgan,” the outlaw replied.

 

“Well, Arthur Morgan, make sure to take good care of Violet for me. I want her in good hands, else I’ll claw myself out of Hell just to drag you back in with me, is that clear?”

 

“Clear as day,” he replied once more.

 

“Liam, please! I-“ Violet tried pulling him into the boat once more and he finally let her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. He caressed her hair and pulled back to kiss her on the forehead, looking down to see Violet’s tears begin to run.

 

“Don’t cry for me, princess, I’m doing this because I truly want the best for you,” he looked to Arthur, giving him a firm nod before looking down to Violet with softened eyes. “Even if I’m not the one to give it to you.”

 

With that he shoved her back onto the boat as he kicked aside the wooden board that allowed access, watching Violet struggle against Arthur as he held her tight.

 

The boat began to sail and get further away from the dock and Liam’s lone figure standing to watch Violet kick and scream for them to let go of her.

 

Violet was helpless as she watched Liam’s figure get smaller and the group of Bronte’s men rode up next to him and exchanging words. Angelo’s distinct figure pushed himself through the small group and patted Liam on the back while pointing at the fleeing boat, then pulled out his revolver and shot Liam in the head. His body went limp and collapsed- Violet watched in agony as they kicked his lifeless body into the sea.

 

“ _LIAM!!”_

 

Her heart sank, her eyes began to sting as Arthur finally let go and she ran to the edge of the boat to watch as Angelo gave one last look towards the boat before retreating. Gripping the rails, Violet sank onto the ground- feeling like she would drown in her own tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys how is everyone’s day? Hope it’s going great! As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Violet stayed in an impassive state for most of the ride back to land, only opening her mouth sparingly for bits of food that Esmerelda basically begged her to eat. Her eyes stayed towards the open water at most times, fixed northwards in a distant gaze. When they stopped to dock close to their hideout at Shady Belle, Violet stayed behind the group- dragging the dirtied wedding dress through the marsh to arrive back to the old plantation house to be greeted by the gang members that stayed behind. The ones who were with them to save Violet went about their ways, collapsing from the fatigue caused by their daring escapade- save for Hosea and Arthur who escorted Dutch up the mansion to tend to his wounds. 

 

Violet stood in front of the fountain in an awkward fashion, looking around her for a clue to which direction to bring herself to until Esmerelda wrapped a hand around her arm and led her towards the back of the mansion towards the water.

 

“I know your heart hurts for him, Violet. But he made his choice and that choice involved saving you, don’t waste his sacrifice.” 

 

Violet looked up to her caretaker with eyes still slightly red, “You don’t think I know that? He was innocent and Angelo promised-“ 

 

“You’re a damn fool to trust that snake,” she hissed and Violet sighed deeply, touching the ring around her finger that Liam gifted her.

 

“We need to leave,” Esmerelda motioned towards the road, “It’s too dangerous here and these men here are wanted in almost every state near here!” 

 

“No! We can’t just leave- Angelo and my father and all the lawmen will be after them! They need us!”

 

“Violet,  _ no. _ We’re too small of a group to take down all of them.. we must flee. For your sake, please!” She pleaded with her eyes, but Violet stood firmly.

 

“I am  _ not leaving!”  _ Vi exclaimed loudly as she stared back. “If we’re too small of a group then let’s find mother’s old gang! You said you kept in touch with them!” 

 

“Violet,” Esmerelda sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose with her other hand resting at her hip- a signature pose that Violet only sees when she’s at her limit of composure. 

 

Nonetheless, Violet kept up her argument, “Dutch and Hosea and everyone here came to help you didn’t they? So, we need to help them too! You and I both know that they’re going to get overrun here and if we leave- we- we’re leaving them to their deaths! I don’t wanna leave another innocent to die because I didn’t do a damn thing!”

 

Esmerelda brought her fingers down from her face, looking at Violet and sighing heavily. She looked to the sky and muttered a prayer in Spanish before replying, “Fine! I owe them a favor anyways, just get some rest and find another set of clothes- you can’t be riding horseback in that dress.” 

 

She stormed off to find Hosea, leaving Violet standing alone once again- fuming and almost in hysterics with feelings. Balling her fists, she kicked the dirt beside her and plopped down onto the earth. 

 

_ How many people will die because of you?  _

 

The question echoed in her mind and Violet balled her legs close to her, putting her head down to rest on her knees. She didn’t care that the setting sun soon brought a chill in the air and the dress was doing little to protect her. Her head was still down when she heard the sound of crunching grass as someone walked close to her. She assumed someone was going fishing, or something of that manner; right now she didn’t care who saw her in this state, she just wanted to let her feelings out in peace. 

 

“Miss,” a gruff voice said gently as her shoulders were covered by a leather coat, the smell of gunpowder and grass entered her nose as the coat was enveloped around her. At this, Violet looked up to see Arthur crouched down to sit in front of her. “You, er, okay?” 

 

“I’m.. just cold, that’s all.”

 

His silence already told her that her lie wasn’t convincing enough. 

 

“He was brave for what he did, almost seemed content at his decision- he didn’t regret saving you one bit,” said Arthur. 

 

Violet has her eyes fixed on the ground in between them, instead focusing on the minor tears on his worn leather boots and the rust on his spurs.

 

“May I ask.. for some clothes to borrow if it’s no trouble?” 

 

“Of course, stay put,” he nodded and got up to fetch whatever clothes he could find as Violet sat down, watching the dark russet orange of the sky start to turn pink and indigo. 

 

“I hope these fit you, come on, you can change in this cabin here,” Arthur offered his hand to Violet which she took as she stood up shakily with the heels of her shoes stuck in the mud. Violet clicked her tongue in annoyance and tried to move forward, only to have her shoe stick stubbornly to the mud and have her tripping forward. Arthur sidestepped and caught her swiftly with both arms, letting out a small chuckle. 

 

“Come on then, princess. It seems you’ve lost your shoe!” 

 

“Don’t laugh, it was an honest mistake.” 

 

Violet felt her lips move up involuntarily to form a smile as she looked up at him while still in his arms. Arthur returned her smile as he lifted Violet with both of his arms, with his arm tucked under her legs and torso- he made his way to the cabin. Kicking the door open, he plopped Violet down as he took the clothes that were hanging from his shoulder and offered them to her. 

 

She cleared her throat as he turned away to give her privacy and he turned back again slightly. 

 

“I- this is very difficult to admit, but this dress took two maids to put on. Do you mind helping me a bit?” 

 

The slight blush was evident on her cheeks as he walked towards her and he motioned her to turn around with his finger. Soon his hands felt all over her back to try and find the seam, clueless on how the dress was even put on her. 

 

“You asked the wrong person for this task, ma’am,” he huffed, frustrated. 

 

“Mmm should I have asked Javier? Or Charles?” 

 

His hands stopped moving around and he placed them on her hips, moving his mouth closer to her ear, “Maybe ripping it off might be easier than doing it properly, miss Violet.” 

 

A shiver went down her spine as Arthur found where to unbutton and undo the silk ribbons.

 

_ Fwip! _

 

The sound of silk being tugged was all that was heard in the small space they were in and Violet was building up her courage as he tried to find a way to get the dress off of her. 

 

“Arthur?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask.. who’s Mary?” 

 

His movement stopped momentarily and picked up again when he undid another button that caused the lace to be undone- exposing her in just her corset. 

 

“No one,” he said, rigid.

 

“Once you have enough money, you’ll run away won’t you? With Mary?”

 

“How much of that did you hear..” Arthur sighed, sitting down on the bed with both elbows at his knees to lean forward and look at her.

 

“I meant to simply give you your hat back, but I stopped when I heard you talking to someone else. A woman named Mary.. I couldn’t tear myself away, I’m sorry.” 

 

He was silent for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 

“Arthur, do you love that woman?” 

 

“Once upon a time, I guess I did-“

 

“Now- do you love her now?” 

 

“Violet, she was once my fiancée. We were both very young and this was a very long time ago, she knows I won’t change and she won’t either- she’s too good for me, for this life.” 

 

Violet was silent, the corset on her seemed like it would choke her but instead it was the breath she refused to let out that stopped her air flow. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, clasping her hands together in front of her. 

 

“Arthur, I.. what do you think of me?” 

 

His was silent for a while, then responded. “I feel something in my heart when I’m with her, that I know..” 

 

Violet bit her lip, not knowing how much more she could take until he continued speaking. 

 

“But I also know that.. the night I first saw you walking around that fountain in Saint Denis, that you were someone I wanted to see again. I know I also feel something when I’m with you and when I saw you-“ he got up and approached Violet, “-up on that carriage shooting down those men, it just confirmed in my mind that I knew you really are something special.”

 

Violet reached up to let her hands grab his face and look at him firmly.

 

“Arthur, I want you to know that if you decide you wanted to be with Mary, I’m okay.. I would support you even. I just want you to be happy. But just know that I feel something everytime I look at you and that if I could, I would want to protect you and care for you till the day I die.” 

 

His hand reached up to caress her hand and she continued, “You deserve so much more, I’ve seen how kind and how amazing you are. You deserve the best, and if you let me- I’m devoted to give that to you.” 

 

“Are you sure you wanna waste your time with this old sod?” He said. 

 

“I couldn’t be sure of anything more.” 

 

Arthur leaned his head down on Violet’s forehead, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent. His arms wrapped around her and she felt the rough calluses on his hand brush against the exposed parts of her back, but it was the most comforting feeling in the world. 

 

“You make me feel like I can be a better man,” he whispered to her and Violet only hugged him tighter.

 

-

 

“You sure this is a good idea? To come in uninvited, they would see it as a threat,” Hosea whispered as he strained his eyes to see in the darkness. “I’m definitely too old to be traipsing around like this.”

 

“This was the last known location, besides, I’m pissed they didn’t even respond to my letter for help,” Esmerelda whispered back, her hand hovering the dimmed charcoal of a dying fire. 

 

“Someone is here.” 

 

Rocks rustled and Esmerelda’s ear perked up, taking out her pistol and aiming at the darkness as she heard another gun click. 

 

“We were looking for you, but seems like you found us first.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say a biiiig thanks for everyone who left lovely words on the last chapter, it made me feel unbelievably great :)


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***TRIGGER WARNING***
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> There’s sexual assault/victim shaming content in this chapter, if this is too uncomfortable for you then I highly suggest you skip the chapter!

Violet awoke with sweat droplets on her forehead, she frowned when she tried to stretch and met with a muscled body. Shifting her body to turn around, she was met face to face with a sleeping Arthur. He slept with his lips parted slightly with one arm under his head and another arm holding her waist, he looked so peaceful. They both lay in his room in the mansion, laid out on a bearskin rug with only a small blanket barely covering their bodies. Unfortunately the blanket was unnecessary as Arthur’s body heat was enough to keep her sweating even with her sparse clothing- the man was a furnace! 

 

Gently combing through her hair with her fingers, humming a small tune- she felt Arthur’s body shift from behind her to sit up. His arms wrapped around her waist as her fingers worked to make a braid in her hair. 

 

“Good morning, my lady,” he said, his voice husky and laden with sleep. Violet tied up her braid and turned her face to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, “Good morning, cowboy.” 

 

He laid back down with an arm to support his head but with his other arm still caressing her thigh. Moving his head to kiss her back and mumbled, “How do you always smell so damn good?” 

 

Violet snorted, turning around and raking her fingers through his messy light brown hair, “It’s too early for flattery, my man.”

 

Arthur gave a chuckle and finally sat back up again, buttoning up his shirt. 

 

“Not for a fine lady like yourself, you can get it anytime of the day,” he gave her a sly smirk. 

 

She rolled her eyes and laughed, getting up to slip on her clothes. Arthur watched as she bent down to pull the pants up, shaking her hips a little just for it to slide over her butt and then finally hooking up the suspenders over her chest. 

 

“I wonder if Pearson would let me cook tonight? I remember Jack wanting spaghetti and I learned a while back.” 

 

“Heh, you would have to suffer through his story of his days in the Navy.” 

 

“I’ve endured worse, I’ll be fine,” she gave him a half-smile before leaving the room, ready to start her day. 

 

-

 

Violet started her rounds doing what she sees other members of the gang and Arthur himself so when they need to start the day; she decided to start chopping up the wood to begin with. Bringing the axe over her head and watching in dismay when the tip of the axe hit the log and fall off the stump.

 

“The hell..” she muttered to herself. 

 

“You’re using too much strength, ease off when you strike down.” 

 

Violet looked up to see Javier observing her attempt with a bemused expression. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and walked over to the fallen log, picking it up and placing it back on the stump. 

 

He gestured towards the log and Violet swung once again, sighing when the axe lodged itself in the log- not even breaking it in half. 

 

“Have you never chopped wood before?” He laughed again. 

 

“I-“ Violet started and he waved her comment away. 

 

“I’m just kidding. Don’t take it so serious,  _ princesa.  _ Here let me show you.” 

 

She extended the axe to him and instead of him taking it, he positioned himself behind her. His arms guided hers upwards with them both holding the axe, and he held her firmly as he had her swing down- slowing when the axe was inches away from the log. Violet watched as the log snapped perfectly in half and she looked at the split wood with a silent ‘oh’ escaping her lips. 

 

“I, uh.. thank you, Javier,” she gave him a grateful smile. 

 

“Of course, let me know if you need help. I know the outlaw life might take some time getting used to,” he smirked at her as he walked away, getting ready for a day of standing guard at the camp’s entrance. 

 

Violet huffed and finished the rest of the logs, hoping that no one saw her blunder. 

 

-

 

“Miss Violet, can you hand me those carrots over there?” 

 

She took them to Pearson and placed them on the chopping board, “Do you need these chopped, Pearson?” 

 

“Actually, yeah that’d be great if you could!” 

 

Violet moved her braid behind her, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt and began dicing the carrots. As she chopped, Pearson got up and looked over her knife work. 

 

“Pretty good, have you ever cooked before?” 

 

“Of course! I often cook for myself in Saint Denis. I enjoy doing it actually,” she gave him a smile. “Although I still have a lot to learn in terms of the culinary arts.” 

 

“Is that so? Then do you mind helping me for the stew tonight?” 

 

“I would love to, do we have any meat? I want to see if meatballs is something we can add to the menu tonight. I want to make spaghetti, special request from Jack,” Violet hummed as she continued mincing the spices. “Of course if you don’t mind, chef.” 

 

“Well if it’s a special request from Jack, we can’t ignore it! I’ll just follow what you want to do then, miss Violet.” 

 

He gave her a hearty laugh as her eyes lit up and she began to mince the meat and mix them with grounded spice.  

 

“I have one last request, mister Pearson.” 

 

“Mmm?” 

 

“Can I hear about your days in the Navy?” 

 

Pearson gave her a soft smile, “Never had someone ask me voluntarily.. but if you insist. We were once stranded in the middle of the Atlantic.. with nothing but our crew and a few rations..” 

 

-

 

Violet added the tomato sauce last, mixing in the meatballs in the pot. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she tried ignoring the flames as she finished up her creation. 

 

Scooping up some of the spaghetti into a dish, she presented it to Pearson and watched nervously as he cut the meatball in half- taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully. 

 

He looked at Violet with a delighted expression, “This is actually quite good! Wait till the camp gets a bite of this!” 

 

She let out a satisfied sigh, happy that her attempt at the dish wasn’t a complete disaster. Gathering up another plate she walked up to the Marston’s family room and knocked politely.  

 

“Come in!” Abigail called out and Violet poked her head in with the dish behind her back. 

 

“Ah, Violet, I should’ve known it was you! No one else in the camp has the decency to knock, what’s wrong?” 

 

“I’ve got something for Jack, actually.” 

 

Violet knelt down in front of Jack who was playing with a makeshift toy, “Remember when you asked me if I knew how to make spaghetti, Jack?” 

 

Jack looked at her curiously, “Yeah, I think..” 

 

Unveiling the dish from behind her back, Jack’s eyes widened with recognition. 

 

“Spaghetti!” He exclaimed, taking the bowl from Violet excitedly. “Thank you, miss Violet!”

He dug in, letting the sauce splatter across his mouth in a sloppy manner.

 

“Thank you, that was sweet of you,” Abigail grinned, watching her son gobble up the food. 

 

“You should get some too Abigail, anyways I’ll leave you to it,” she bowed her head a bit before exiting. 

 

Walking down the mansion, she heard multiple voices murmuring and the sound of metal clanking. 

 

She walked out to see the gang members crowd around the pot, impatiently shoving the spaghetti into their bowls.

 

“Move, ya fat bastard!” 

 

“This is your second bowl, hypocrite. Move outta the way!” 

 

“You’re like children, get in a damn line!” Susan screeched and they all grumbled as they assembled into a makeshift line. 

 

“Pearson, this is pretty damn good,” Uncle stuffed his face, licking tomato sauce from his fingers. 

 

“Actually.. it wasn’t me,” Pearson responded sheepishly, throwing his thumb over his shoulder to point at Violet. 

 

“She was the chef tonight, I was just following her recipe, hah!” 

 

John picked up a piece of pasta and dropped it in his mouth, “So this is what Jack was talking about, not half bad.” 

 

“You did pretty good. It tastes great,” Charles gave her a subtle nod. 

 

“Let’s just have her replace Pearson as the camp cook,” Javier joked and his laughter stopped when he noticed Pearson’s glare. “Man, I’m kidding! Don’t look at me like that.” 

 

The rest ate their dish quietly, giving her praise when she walked by them.  

 

“Guess you can cook, shoot a gun, is there anything you ain’t do yet?” Karen asked. 

 

“I still have a lot I don’t know how to do,” Violet responded. 

 

“Hmph, you realize you have to put in work everyday like the rest of us do.” 

 

“Yes, I intend to.” 

 

Karen looked at her sternly, “If you’re gonna ride with us, I hope ain’t gonna be another Molly.” 

 

Violet nodded, excusing herself as she left the crowd and headed to the trees in the back of the mansion. Kneeling down besides the trees, she gathered flowers from the roots and held them with both hands as she walked towards the waters edge. Behind one of the gravestones near the water was a makeshift wooden boat. Placing the flowers in the boat, she took out a match and lit the small candle in the middle of the boat. Giving it a gentle push, she watched the small boat make its way to open water, the candle flickering and emitting a soft glow. 

 

“Goodbye, Liam.” 

 

“Aw.. well isn’t that sweet.” 

 

Violet turned her head, her senses on high alert when she saw Micah’s sneering face. She swallowed the remark she had in mind and gave him a tight-lipped smile. 

 

“Mister Bell, hello.” 

 

“Miss.. Violet,” he drawled, approaching her as she backed up- dress filling her stomach when she felt the hard bark of a tree behind her blocking her way. 

 

“You’ve made us go through a lot of trouble the past few days.” 

 

He approached her, closing the distance between them. 

 

“And you haven’t even bothered thanking either of us for all of our  _ hard work? _ ” 

 

Micah was close enough to smell Violet and he trapped her in between his arms. 

 

“It’s okay, you can start with thanking me.” 

 

He was so close, she smelled his breath- sour and dank and Violet wanted to vomit. Bringing up her knee to hit him in the groin and he groaned loudly before reaching to grab Violet by the throat. She choked as he applied pressure harder and harder, feeling the skin under his calloused fingers start to bruise. 

 

“You bitch!” He slammed her against the tree and she groaned, feeling the sharp bark dig against her skin. 

 

She couldn’t even choke out a response as she saw flashes of light before her eyes, clawing at his hands to let her neck go. She reached for his bare arms, digging her nails in as hard as she can to rip at his skin, he cursed as her nails dragged against his arm and leaving bloody marks. 

 

“Come.. back here!” Micah yelled and reached for Violet as she tried to scramble away, taking a handful of her shirt. Violet kicked him across the face causing him to rip the shirt as she ran back towards the mansion- leaving Micah crawling in the mud. 

 

-

 

Violet sighed, feeling her neck as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. She slinked back inside the mansion, trying to maintain whatever dignity she had before Micah.

 

She stopped inside when she walked up the stairs, taking a deep breath before continuing. 

 

“Violet? What happened?” 

 

She looked up to see Dutch, unlit cigar in hand and inquisitive eyes. She swallowed before she continued climbing the stairs. 

 

“I.. Dutch,” she looked to see if anyone was around. “Micah, he..” 

 

“What did mister Bell do?” 

 

“He tried to.. I think he tried to take me over there by the water. I didn’t give him my consent-“ 

 

“Miss Violet,” he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and led her towards the living room near his bedroom. “I know Micah Bell, and he- without a doubt- is a good man. I’m sure he didn’t mean-“ 

 

“Dutch!” Violet exclaimed, showing him the torn shirt. “He. Tried. To force himself on me!” 

 

“Violet, you’ve caused all of us to rescue you multiple times. Don’t you think you can go a day without causing any of us anymore trouble? You’re being hysterical.”

 

Violet felt as if she was slapped across the face, “Are.. you accusing me of lying?” 

 

He was silent, looking at her. 

 

“Miss Violet, I think it’s best if you try to be less of an inconvenience. We have our own problems to worry about before you and Esmerelda showed up,” he deadpanned. 

 

Violet felt her nails dig in her palm as she balled them up tightly, feeling her rage boil in waves that washed over her mind. She bowed her head slightly, “I understand.” 

 

She left him to walk back to Arthur’s room, closing the door softly behind her as she turned on the gas lamp to look at herself in Arthur’s shaving mirror. Specks of mud and tears stained her face- looking at her fingers she still saw flesh buried underneath the nails. 

 

Sighing as she unbuttoned her shirt to look at the bruising on her chest and neck. As her hands began to button her shirt back up, the door opened and Arthur stumbled in with a smile. 

 

“My lady, that spaghetti was fantastic. You sure gave Pearson a run for his money-“ 

 

He stopped when he saw Violet and the state she was in. His smile disappeared and he closed the door behind him, taking long strides towards her. 

 

He moved her hand and his eyes filled with rage when he saw the deep purple bruising on her neck and the blood on her fingers. 

 

Arthur looked at Violet in the eyes, his breathing frantic and deep. 

 

“Who did this to you?” he growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is everyone’s 2019 going so far? Hopefully good! As always, kudos and comments are appreciated!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Arthur dismounted his horse, tired and hungry from a day of running errands for the camp- feeling his stomach rumble as he approached the stew pot. Noticing the usual stew being replaced with what seem like balls of meat and worm-like objects in a red paste. 

 

“Stop staring Arthur, just dig in!” Lenny said as he passed him by. 

 

Shrugging, he scooped the contents onto his bowl and cut the meatball in half, taking a bite. And then another, then another, and another.

 

Opting to use his fingers to pick up the worm-like things on his plate, he slurped it up. The blend of spiced meat with the tomato sauce satisfied him greatly, throwing down the bowl and spoon.

 

“Trying something different, Pearson?” Arthur called to the cook as he gestured towards the stew bowl. 

 

“Nah, not me. Thank miss Violet, she made what she called ‘spaghetti’,” he responded. “I believe I saw her go back inside the mansion if you wanna thank her personally.” 

 

Arthur gave him a nod of approval as he entered the mansion, jogging up the stairs to enter his room. 

 

“My lady, that spaghetti was fantastic. You sure gave Pearson a run for his money-“ he started with a laugh as he entered, stopping when he saw Violet in her current state. 

 

He closed the door behind him as he walked towards her, taking her hand gently and moving it to see the bruised skin. 

 

“Who did this to you?” He growled and Violet looked down, ashamed and silent. 

 

“Violet.” 

 

“I don’t want you to do anything rash,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be a nuisance to this camp.” 

 

Arthur took her hands and looked at the strips of skin that was bunched up under her nail. “If you don’t tell me, I’m gonna look around for anyone who has scratch marks on them. Either you tell me or I go find out myself.” 

 

Violet bit her lip, motioning him to take a seat beside her on his bed. Telling him what happened in a hushed voice. 

 

His blood boiled as she continued her story, finally seeing a tinge of red in his vision as he got up and left Violet in his room. 

 

Opening the double doors, he walked towards Micah who sat near the fire with a drink in hand and bandages around his arm. 

 

“Ah, Morgan! Come join us ‘round the fire-“ 

 

Arthur punched him across the mouth, sending him flying to the side and his beer spilling onto the fire. The flames roared for a short while and rose behind Arthur’s figure, giving him a hellish visage.

not giving Micah a chance to recover, he grabbed him by the collar and threw him on the ground.

 

The camp members gathered around to see what the fuss was about, to see what got Arthur Morgan- a man of calm demeanor- got him so riled up. 

 

“You goddamn animal! Give me one reason I shouldn’t take a knife across your ugly mug right now!” Arthur yelled as the rage fueled him more as he let punches fly, not stopping when his knuckles started to bleed. The gang just watched, little pieces of them finally relieved to see Micah get his comeuppance. 

 

“What the hell’s your problem, Morgan?” Bill yelled as Arthur threw down Micah again. Arthur stood up, staring down at Micah with his chest rising up and down at a quickened pace. 

 

“He hurt Violet,” he spat. “Tried to come onto her didn’t you, you bastard.” 

 

Micah laughed, spitting out blood on the dirt, “What of it Morgan, she ain’t your woman. She’s just some little girl y’all got paid to care about.” 

 

“Touch her again and trust that you’ll be missing more than your dignity, ya hear me?”

 

Struggling to get up, Micah wiped his mouth and smirked when he saw Violet run up to Arthur. She tried pulling Arthur away, insisting to him this feud wasn’t worth it. 

 

“There she is, tell me you didn’t like it you little whore,” he sneered and Violet ignored him, focusing on dragging Arthur away. 

 

“First that boy that got shot because of you, what was his name? Luke? Liam? Then Arthur? Do you just sleep your way up to the top, you dirty bitch?” 

 

Violet’s breathing became unsteady, continuing to ignore him and began to walk away. 

 

“Is that what your mother did too? Whore her way to the top just for her to get shot like a dog-“ 

 

Violet brought her fist to the side of his face, knocking him down and straddling his chest as she punched him in the face repeatedly. Her nails digging into his neck as she struggled to keep him down and not caring what part of his face was going to be damaged. He struggled against her but the rage fueled her hits as she continued. The sound of his nose breaking didn’t stop her until she heard Esmerelda’s voice and the sound of a group of horses riding into camp.

 

“Violet, stop.” 

 

And she did, but not without punching him once more. Stumbling to get up, she finally felt the numb tinge of pain form at her knuckles- blood dripping from her fists to the ground. 

 

She turned to look and saw Esmerelda with Hosea. Behind her was a group with masks covering their face.

 

“Quite a punch ya got there, lass,” one of them piped up and the person next to her slapped her arm.

 

“This was a bad time to walk in, I suppose,” Hosea sighed. “But I might as well introduce you all to some old friends while you’re all gathered here.” 

 

He motioned to the four figures behind him and they all pulled down their masks in unison. The person who spoke up before was a woman with wild red hair and a freckled complexion, her smile was giddy as she winked at Violet when they made eye contact. “This is Bonnie.”

 

Next to her were two identical twins, their sleek black hair were cut short to their shoulders and their almond shaped eyes flickered before the fire, bowing their heads slightly when Violet looked at them. “This one is Elaine, the one next to her is Helen.”

 

At the end of the line was a tall woman with a stern expression, her hair was in a long braid with a quail feather attached to it. She also bowed her head in acknowledgement when Violet looked at her. “This is Kaliska.”

 

“Ladies, this is the van der Linde gang.. speaking of which, where is Dutch?” Hosea looked around and saw Dutch making his way towards the group.

 

“Arthur, Hosea,” he nodded to them, looking past them to see Micah all bruised and bloodied on the ground. “What in God’s name happened here?” 

 

Arthur huffed, pulling Hosea to the side and whispered something in his ear. He looked at Arthur with raised eyebrows and then motioned for Dutch to follow them back to the mansion. Micah grumbled to himself and walked off towards the back of the mansion, no doubt to lick his wounds. Most notable was the fact that no one bothered to help him up.

 

“Excuse us folks. Ladies, make yourselves at home,” Hosea waves to them and then disappeared into the mansion.

 

Bonnie was the first to move, extending her arms out towards Violet, “Well, don’t just stand there girl. Come give Bonnie a hug!” 

 

Violet awkwardly held her hands up stiffly and Bonnie gathered her up in her arms, lifting her up off the ground with surprising ease- as if Violet was a sack of feathers.

 

Kaliska approached Susan, “Good to see you again, Susan. You’re still running with this gang, I see.” 

 

Susan nodded, sighing, “You see correctly, picked up a couple new faces over here, and you?” 

 

“Just a few,” Kaliska smiled, “Where can we set up our own lodgings?” 

 

“I’ll show you,” she walked off and Kaliska followed. 

 

Elaine and Helen greeted Violet, shaking her hand. Violet felt soft scarring on each of their hands as well as burned skin on their fingers, she wondered what kind of work were they doing that caused these wounds. 

 

“Stop by our tents later, we have something for you,” Elaine smiled sweetly at her and Helen nodded enthusiastically. 

 

Violet thanked them and they both dragged Bonnie to go pitch their tents near the gazebo. 

 

Esmerelda wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulders, leading her away from the camp. 

 

“My love, what was that little tussle about?” 

 

Violet sighed, already envisioning the hell that Esmerelda would bring upon this camp if she told- but her loving caretaker’s eyes burned with concern. She caved- and told her everything.

 

-

 

“You think this type of behavior is okay? What happened to you Dutch, you wouldn’t let that happen before!” Arthur exclaimed as the double doors of Dutch’s room slammed open with an angry Esmerelda in the doorway. Closing them behind her, her green eyes were shining in the dark.

 

“What the  _ FUCK  _ kind of camp are you running here?!” She yelled, walking towards Dutch as Hosea and Arthur held their arms up to block her off. 

 

“Irene gave you  _ everything  _ she had, how dare you treat her daughter like this! This is a fucking joke, if you don’t do anything about that man of yours, I will!” 

 

“Do not talk to me like that,” Dutch frowned, defensive. “You come to my camp, tell me what to do, and make demands as if you were the one leading. It’s a disgrace!”

 

“A disgrace is a man that lets his subordinates openly attack a woman that clearly doesn’t want it, Irene didn’t die for her daughter to be disrespected and to be called a liar by someone who she thought she trusted! The Dutch I used to know is supposed to be chivalrous and righteous,” she screamed and she watched as the fight left Dutch’s face. 

 

Esmerelda paced, fuming, and pinching the bridge of her nose, “I promise I would help this gang because of Violet. Did you know that? Did you know that she wanted to help you damned fools get out of here?”

 

“I..” Dutch was speechless for a slight moment, “I apologize, it’s been rough for us here Esmerelda. I’ll see what to do about Micah.”

 

Her vitriol subsided, calming herself and nodding, “Dutch we’ve helped you before, please let us help you now, we can all get out of here in one piece if we work together.”

 

Dutch turned towards the balcony, silently pondering, “I would appreciate that.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I’m here, I gotta ask if anyone is a Jacob Seed fan? Bc I sure am ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). ( I wanna write about that ginger mountain man.) Besides that tho, kudos and comments are always appreciated and y’all stay safe out here.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Bonnie, Esmerelda, and Kaliska looked out over the valley on the hill they were perched on. The morning sun had just reached its highest point as the warm rays shone over the valley. 

 

“Well, that makes the fifth patrol we saw. They’re getting rowdy ain’t they?” Bonnie leaned back, fixing the wheat grass that hung between her lips like a cigarette. 

 

“There were less of them when we arrived, should we be worried?” asked Kaliska. 

 

Esmerelda pondered, going through her options in her head, “We should warn Dutch. This might spell trouble if we want to make any moves.” 

 

The women made their way back to the camp; Esmerelda glanced back at the patrol, scowling when she saw the familiar badge representing the Pinkerton Detective Agency. 

 

-

 

“Dutch.” 

 

“Ah, Fernández. To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

 

Esmerelda sat across from Dutch, watching him light his cigar as he raised an eyebrow at her. 

 

“We saw Pinkertons patrolling, I think Violet’s father tipped them off that you’re here. I think.. it’s in our best interest to move,” she said in a low voice. 

 

“Where-“ Dutch sighed, his brow furrowing and his voice having the slightest of tremors. “Where would we even go? There’s nowhere left for us to run, I might be leading everyone to their deaths-“

 

Esmerelda shushed him, placing a comforting hand on his, “Dutch, focus. We’re here for you. I’m here for you. Let’s breathe and focus. We have to move, I’m sure Angelo and mister Fleurille are already combing the area to find you, we need to move north. You have my girls and I, and you have your gang- we can do this.” 

 

Dutch shook the ash off his cigar, taking a long drag and exhaling, “I’ll let them know.” 

 

-

 

“Packing up?” Arthur walked down the stairs to see Violet carry a suitcase up towards his room. 

 

“No, Helen and Elaine told me to put this on before we head out, said it was important,” she replied before running up and Arthur headed back down, before stopping and turning right back around to go to his room. 

 

As he entered, Violet stopped unbuttoning her shirt. She looked behind her shoulder, her chin pointed up, and eyebrow raised. 

 

“Can I help you?” 

 

Arthur closed the door behind him, sitting down on his bed, and leaned forward on his knees. 

 

“I just wanna watch, ain’t nothing wrong with that, right?” He smirked up at her and Violet scoffed, rolling her eyes with a smile. 

 

“You’re a sinful man, Arthur Morgan,” she laughed as she turned back around to continue undressing. Arthur got up to take her arm and twirling her around to face him again, holding her face up with his finger under her chin. 

 

“Ain’t nothing wrong with a little sin, sweetheart,” he said, his voice lowered so it was only audible for her ears. Violet felt a shiver go up her spine as he sat back on the bed and motioned for her to continue. 

 

She shook her head in mock disbelief and continued to shrug off her shirt, but they both knew that it was just another article of clothing that she had “borrowed” from him. Unbuckling the belt that held up her work pants to reveal her legs and undergarments- regardless of the nights they spend together, she was still so embarrassed. 

 

“You look beautiful,” he smiled at her, wanting to enjoy the scene a little longer before a frantic knock came at his door. 

 

“You there, Morgan? You said you would help Pearson load up his wagon,” John called out to his brother. 

 

Arthur groaned, “Fine! Just- just go tell ‘im! I’ll be down in a bit.” 

 

He sighed, getting up, and placing a kiss on Violet’s forehead before leaving the room and her by herself. Violet laughed to herself, looking down at the suitcase that the twins gave her. They claimed it was a gift and the curiosity was pushing Violet as she unclamped the lock, prying open the old case apart. 

 

Inside was an outfit consisting of red and black cloth. Unfolding it, it looked like some type of dress- there was the slit on the side of the dress that let the legs move around freely and revealed two concealed pants legs with padding on the inner thighs that went down to her knees. The top was red and off the shoulder with frills around the perimeter of the hem. A black leather belt attached to two more leather straps went over Violet’s shoulder to hold the top up and on the waist was a dark brown leather half corset. 

 

Violet slipped on the dress over her head, surprised that the corset fit over her comfortably and didn’t obstruct her breathing in any way. From the suitcase, she found two sidearm holsters that she attached to her belt along with a bandolier with the engraved initials ‘I.S’ on it in gold embellishment. Slipping it over her head to cross her body, Violet put on the lace-up boots that held two throwing knives hidden on each side and dusted down the outfit. The last items in the case was a flat top hat that had a large outer brim with a purple flower tucked into the red sash that was tied around it and fingerless black rifle gloves. Finishing of her look, she reached for her pot of lipstick and spread it onto her lips using her finger

 

The outfit was gorgeous and seductive, the craftsmanship was only seen by Violet in the richest parts of Saint Denis. The whole outfit seemed to be designed for one purpose only when she took a look at herself- this dress was made for an outlaw. 

 

-

 

“That the last of ‘em?” 

 

“I dunno.”

 

“Can you count them then? Dumb bastard,” Arthur barked, making sure everything was tied up good and proper. Facing Dutch to tell him that everything outside was good and he watched his eyes go over shin shoulder, eyes going wide as if he’s seen an apparition. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Arthur asked, “You look like you seen a ghost.” 

 

“For a moment, I believe I had,” he replied. “Irene..”

 

Arthur followed his line of sight to see Violet step out onto the patio, making her way towards her girls. The red dress brushing against her ankles and as she walked confidently, tipping her hat to hide the sunlight hitting her face. She looked over to see Arthur gawking and she gave him a wink, tipping her hat and her red lips moved up in a smirk.

 

“What a woman,” Arthur whispered to himself. “Alright, let’s finish packing up so we can get a move on already!” 

 

-

 

Violet took Arthur’s horse, riding it next to him as he sat next to Hosea on the carriage. He looked over to her and nodded, “My lady.” 

 

“Arthur,” she smiled back at him, her eyes overshadowed with her hat so that he only saw the top of her nose and the crimson rouge on her lips which never fails to take him back to that fateful night in Saint Denis. 

 

“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable sitting down while I ride on that horse?” 

“Nah, besides I think he likes me! And you need your rest, old man,” she gave him a mischievous grin.

 

“Look, I ain’t that..” Arthur stopped, and started coughing. One and two, followed by three and four more- his chest heaving as he coughed even more with his hand trying to hide his fit. Taking his hand away, he wiped it on his trousers and looked over at Violet’s horrified face.

 

“Arthur..” she began and he waved off her inquiry. 

 

“I’m fine, Violet, just a little cough is all,” he smiled at her, feeling his throat strain when he talked. 

 

Violet looked unconvinced, she stayed by his side on horseback- glancing at him nervously. Her careful gaze was interrupted by the sound of wood falling and the whinnying of horses. 

 

“Shhh!” Kieran reached to pat the horse and the horse snorted, shaking it’s head before staying silent. The wheel of their wagon fell off and Charles looked from the side of the wagon, groaning. 

 

“I just fixed that,” he muttered, getting up to climb off. 

 

“Ah, I got it big boy. Stay in yer cart,” Bonnie rode up next to them, picking up the wheel with ease and rolling it back towards the cart. Positioning the wheel upwards, she lifted the cart slightly with her shoulder and pushed the wheel back in- twisting the knob to make sure it was tight. Tapping the cart to signal that it was fixed, she got back on her horse to ride forward. 

 

“Well, well, ain’t you strong,” Karen looked over to Bonnie. 

 

“Never seen a woman lift a wagon before,” Tilly said in silent awe. 

 

“How did you become that strong, miss..” Mary-Beth paused, unsure of what the Irish woman’s name was. 

 

“It’s Bonnie lass, just Bonnie,” she replied, winking at her. “And you get that strong by lifting heavy stuff for most of yer life. And a bit of brawling drunken fools in saloons, heh.” 

 

“So you lifted heavy things in Ireland?” Karen asked. 

 

“You could say that, I didn’t always do it. Used to be a lady at fancy balls, with dresses so pretty and getting drunk off expensive wine,” Bonnie answered, her hazel eyes gleaming. 

 

“That must be romantic,” Mary-Beth said dreamily and Bonnie shook her head. 

 

“No, my lady. More like a nightmare, I’m obviously not that rich anymore. I sleep under the stars most nights, but I tell you what- I couldn’t be happier.” 

 

“Why’d you come here then?” Karen leaned her elbow over the cart, close to Bonnie. 

 

“I was married to this big bloke, Ethan. He was rich, and my parents knew he was bloody well rich. So they made me marry him. Ethan liked me, but he liked his drink as well- I think more than me.. then, he started to drink too much and he beat me some nights. Sometimes I would hide, but most of the times I would scream and no one came to save me,” Bonnie told her story with a serene gaze.

 

“One night, I decided to fight back. Hard that was, the bastard was a head taller than me and stronger- but I gave him my all and managed to knock him out. Once he was on the floor, passed out, I went to go collect my things and got on the next boat towards America aaaaaand here I am!” Bonnie gave the girls a smile, her eyes filled with dulled sadness. “Funny though, Ethan woke up the next day and shot himself from what I heard. Haven’t back to Ireland ever since.” 

 

“I-I’m sorry I asked..” Karen stuttered, her cheeks turning a slight pink. 

 

“It’s okay, lass! ‘Twas all in the past,” the Irish woman glances at the story book Mary-Beth held in her hands. “Don’t worry girls, happy endings always come after the bad stuff.” 

 

With that, Bonnie gave a warm smile to Karen and rode up to ride by Kaliska, Karen moved to face herself towards the other girls- the heat she felt in her plump cheeks still not dying down. Bonnie’s flaming red-orange hair, her hazel eyes, freckled nose, and thick Irish accent reminded her of Sean- but Bonnie was different. 

 

She shook her head, “I’m being an idiot.” 

 

-

 

Esmerelda sat in a carriage with Javier and Lenny, her leg crossed over her other while she polished her revolver. 

 

“Would you ever go back to Mexico?” Javier asked and Esmerelda stopped, looking at him with her striking green eyes. 

 

“Mmm, someday, maybe. But my duty right now is to this gang and Violet’s safety,” she responded, going back to cleaning her gun. 

 

Javier nodded, “Oh okay, same here.” He stopped his sentence abruptly, wanting to say more and Esmerelda looked up to see his subtle hesitation. 

 

“Speak, Javier.  _ Qué es?”  _

 

“How do you know when to leave, when is your loyalty not compromised?” He said to her in a hushed tone. 

 

She leaned back, putting away her gun and moving her face forward towards him, “Loyalty can be tricky- it can sometimes be blind, if you feel that in your heart that the current path you choose is wrong- then you have the power to change that into a path you’re proud of. In the end, Javier, you can either leave light or darkness behind and those who remember you will memorialize those deeds- good or bad. And sometimes the good is hard to do while the bad is easy, which do you want to be remembered by,  _ amigo?” _

 

Javier was silent, leaning back and whispered to himself, “Good.”

 

She smiled at him, and looked back at the others following them. Her gaze focused on the sole rider in the back, his white hat covering his face but she knew he was glaring at her. Micah rode alone in the back, his horse being his only company. Esmerelda’s hand grazed over her gun, she knew what this type of treatment did to men like him- and he was almost at his boiling point. All she had to do was wait, sensing that he would try to get his revenge at some point for taking him away from Dutch’s side. Esmerelda checked how many bullets she had in the chamber, satisfied when seeing that it was fully loaded. She was always good at killing snakes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, been cultivating my cult in Montana for the reckoning. (Jk I’ve been sick in bed AGAIN, coughing up blood and drinking so much lemon tea with honey.)


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The camp stopped near the side of the river, their carts all huddled next to each other as they all got ready to turn in for the night to wait for morning to move out again. 

 

“You know what that corset around your waist is for, don’t you?” Elaine crouched next to her, sipping water from her tin cup. 

 

“I could guess its little more than a pretty piece,” Violet replied and Elaine nodded.

 

“It’s meant to be a makeshift tourniquet, just in case your mother got shot- she would tighten that up to staunch the bleeding until she got help.” 

 

“My mother was a smart outlaw,” Violet gave Elaine a small smile. 

 

“Oh, your mother was more than just an outlaw- once you see the rest of the gang you’ll see why,” Elaine nodded, her dark brown eyes turning a soft honey brown under the sun. 

 

“There’s more?” Violet asked. 

 

“Dear Violet, she left you in charge of a small empire,” she responded. 

 

“Elaine, do you have any more casings- oh, miss Violet, hello,” Helen bowed her head slightly. “Just here for some materials and I’ll make myself scarce.” 

 

“Casings? As in bombs?” Violet inquired. 

 

“Observant, here- look at these,” the twins opened a case in front of her carefully, showing multiple spherical and cubical shaped bombs all neatly lined up. On the sides of the suitcase laid some cylindrical sticks with small stars carved on them.

 

“The ones here that are cubes and spheres, these are bombs,” Elaine pointed at them, shadowing her finger over them.

 

“We also specialize in fireworks, they make for good distractions- and the rich like the shiny things that explode so they pay a pretty penny for them,” Helen pointed at the cylinders, with a smirk.

 

“Amazing, how did you learn to do these?”

 

“Ah, well. It started when we were orphaned in San Francisco I suppose. So many Chinese immigrants stop at California before heading out looking for the American dream. Our parents didn’t survive the trip, our parents were robbed as soon as we left the city and after we gave them everything, they just shot them dead but left us alive- probably couldn’t stomach shooting two little Chinese girls,” Helen said, holding hands with her sister. 

 

“After that, we were just trying to find a way to survive. We soon were accepted as apprentices to make fireworks, fortunately the process for making fireworks are very similar to making explosives- so,” Elaine continued. 

 

“We soon abused that knowledge to use to rob people, for money, clothes- anything. We wanted to survive. That changed though, when the carriage we blew up next belonged to your mother,” Elaine laughed. “She caught us before we ran, and we thought that was the end. They’ll lynch us in front of a crowd.” 

 

“But she took us in, taught us how to survive properly and she introduced us into her gang, so here we are,” Helen finished, fixing her sleeve and Violet saw the silver scarring all over her arm. 

 

“Are those..” Violet began. 

 

“These? These are shrapnel wounds, someone has to test the bombs don’t they?” 

 

“Hurts like Hell, but hey, these bombs are the fruit of our labor.” 

“Violet, dear, will you come with me for a second?” 

Esmerelda called to her and she got up, excusing herself from the twins. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Follow me.”

 

-

 

Micah sat on a rock not too far from camp, but far enough where the flicker of the campfire’s shadow danced across his face but all he felt was the cold chill of the night. He grumbled to himself, finding himself ostracized from the rest of the camp- Dutch hasn’t even bothered to give him the time of day and it’s all because those women. He growled as the wood he was whittling snapped in half, throwing it on the ground in frustration and sat back. His attention was piqued when he heard female voices talk in a hushed tone, thinking it was just Karen or Mary-Beth- until he saw the flaming red hair followed with black hair and the one walking beside them wearing all black and red. 

 

Micah got up to follow, crouching quietly and using the trees as cover. He followed until their voices were clearer and spoke louder. 

 

“Well?” 

 

“We can’t stay here for long, those government idiots will hunt us down if we don’t keep moving.”

 

“Have you seen those wanted posters they posted?” 

 

Micah heard paper rustling and unfolding. 

 

“Dutch van der Linde, ten-thousand dollars. Hosea Matthews seventy-five hundred dollars. Arthur Morgan, five thousand dollars.” 

 

Bonnie gave a low whistle, “Those boys are worth a lot, eh? Could just turn them in and pay off our bounties…  _ kidding!  _ Don’t look at me like that lass.”

 

“Don’t forget Violet, you’re wanted too,” another paper rustled. 

 

“Noted, how much am I worth?” 

 

“A whopping seven thousand, heh, we should just pick you up and turn you in ourselves!” 

 

“Ha-ha,” Violet deadpanned and the two women besides her laughed. “Probably made my father and Bronte really mad, whoever gets to turn me will probably receive their blessings and then some, eh?” 

 

“Yes, we need to be careful, if anyone catches wind of this.. you might not be safe, Violet.” 

 

“Hah, I’d like to see them try.”

 

“I’m hungry, can we go back and eat?” Bonnie stretched, “You ladies comin’?” 

 

Esmerelda followed, “Violet, you coming?” 

 

“I just want a moment to be alone, scout the area a bit- don’t worry I’ll come and catch up,” Violet called back and Micah heard their footsteps get further away from Violet. 

 

Thoughts ran through his head, one of them being nothing but revenge. He could turn in Violet and get the bounty money  _ and  _ then some from the ones who posted the bounty. He got up quietly, stalking Violet’s silhouette amongst the darkness. He stopped when she came to a sudden halt, looking around her as if she heard something- after a moment she continued until she reached a clearing further down the camp. At the distance they were at, the camp members wouldn’t hear her struggle- he just had to ensure her silence first.

 

He readied his knife, inching forwards Violet carefully. 

 

Violet turned around, looking at Micah with a blasé expression. 

 

“May I help you?” She asked. 

 

“You’re worth quite a lot for a typical trouble-making do-gooder, I’m sure the camp won’t mind being seven-thousand dollars richer. Maybe turn Morgan in too, I’m tired of seeing both of your goddamned faces around camp,” he sneered. 

 

“You mean to turn me in to gain my father’s favor too? And even Bronté?” She asked, lifting her left eyebrow. 

 

“Hell, if it makes me richer, why the hell not- the gang don’t gotta know about it,” he responded, feeling sweat beginning to form around his knife. She was acting calm, too calm. 

 

“Then, I think I’ve proven just how loyal you can be,” Violet sighed, then gave a sharp whistle and to Micah’s horror he saw Dutch step out from the shadows; as well as Hosea, Arthur, Esmerelda, and Bonnie. 

 

“D-Dutch! Buddy, look-“ Micah felt sweat gather up on his forehead, he felt Arthur’s hardened glare pierce through him. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Esmerelda glare at him as if her eyes were jeweled daggers- he felt cornered. 

 

“I think you’ve said enough, mister Bell. Come with us.” 

 

-

 

They dragged Micah- hogtied, back to the camp. Everyone looked on with mild surprise, seeing Dutch look on the man he thought he trusted with disgust. 

 

“It seems we have someone with tested faith in this here camp, we may steal, we may murder, but one thing we don’t do in this gang-“ he grabbed Micah’s shirt collar, bringing his face close to him, “-we don’t betray our own.” 

 

Throwing him down, Arthur moved up besides him with his gun in hand- aiming at Micah’s forehead.

 

“Shoulda left your ass to rot in Strawberry, but I guess better late than never.” 

 

Kaliska cleared her throat, “If I can interrupt for a moment.” 

 

“Death is a luxury that most don’t deserve, I can think of worse fates,” she continued, her eyes gleaming with possibilities. 

 

“Don-don’t listen to this fucking redskin! If you’re gonna shoot me cowpoke, be a man and hurry up-“ 

 

Kaliska took the butt of her knife and knocked him to the side, picking him up by his hair.

 

“You know what we do to snakes like you? A fate worse than any death,” she spoke calmly as she dragged her knife across his chin, leaving a trail of blood ooze up from the wound. “If the blood doesn’t leave your body first, your dignity will.”

 

Kaliska slammed his face onto the ground, “Permission, Dutch? May I have the honors.”

 

“Fine, just don’t do it near camp grounds. Make him miserable,” Dutch replied, turning around from the sight of Micah struggling against the tall Miwok tribe woman. 

 

-

 

“I didn’t know that Micah could be so capable of such- such disgusting acts of treachery,” Dutch pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and exhaling. 

 

“It’s not the end of the world Dutch, we’re here for you- you know. And I think we’re gonna be alright,”

Hosea placed a hand on his best friends shoulder and Dutch reached up to hold Hosea’s- a gesture they both only reserved for trying times. 

 

“You have the girls and I, we’ll all be fine. We all will be,” Esmerelda nodded, placing her hand on his other shoulder. 

 

“Who’s idea was that anyhow?” Arthur asked. 

 

Esmerelda smiled and gestured towards Violet, “Violet put that whole plan to motion.” 

 

“Thank you.. miss Fleurille. That was truly something and I want to apologize for my unsavory behavior from before, I know Irene would have my head.” 

 

“I forgive you Dutch, but please. I prefer Violet Steele now,” she smiled.

 

-

 

The following morning the gang packed and got ready for the road ahead, Arthur boarded his cart with Hosea and saw Esmerelda take the lead. 

 

“So, how much further? It’s dangerous to be out in the open road like this with everyone,” Arthur asked her. 

 

“Not much further, don’t worry. Now that Micah is out of the way, we can progress with no further complications,” she responded coolly.

 

“Hmph, sure hope Francine and Alice haven’t burned down the place,” Bonnie grumbled. 

 

“Don’t be like that, I’m sure they’re fine,” Kaliska sighed, wiping blood from her knife on her leather boots before sheathing it.

 

Everyone got their horses moving, following the ladies at the front towards a new home

 

-

 

Further down south, two riders sat down to drink under the sun. 

 

“Ooh, shit it’s hot out here.” 

 

“You can say that again, brother.”

 

They shared drinks and stopped when they heard rustling leaves behind them, getting out their pistols to aim at the rambling mess behind them. 

 

“What the fuck?” One rider screamed, backing up and scrambling back on his horse. 

 

“Poor bastard, who did that to you?” 

 

Micah wanted to scream curse words at him, but the lack of his tongue could only allow him to do so much besides mumble incoherent words. He wanted so much to reach for his gun, but the lack of his fingers allowed him to do so much besides scramble for it clumsily, the blood leaking from his fingers making it harder for him to grip. The smell of iron filled his nostrils as his face was smeared with his own blood, his hair hacked off his face- leaving him looking like a bald bleeding maggot.

 

He soon resorted to falling to his knees, begging, but the riders only heard unintelligible gargling. Spooked, they both got on their horses and rode off. 

 

Micah slammed his fist against the earth, he felt tears sting his eyes and his pathetic moans filled the air around him- he groaned louder, cursing the fates that had him miserable and bleeding on the ground to rot under the sun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Assassin’s Creed fans while I’m here? Bc boy, am I! Also the new Telltale Walking Dead episodes are breaking my heart, my godddddd.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

They arrived at a homestead that was beautiful and secluded, a stream ran downwards from the nearby snow capped mountain by the large wooden fences surrounding the wide area. Wildflowers grew near the dirt road leading to the inside of the property, as the group drew their carts closer- Arthur took a breath, enjoying the crisp clear air of the environment. Apple trees grew near the northern part of the fence along with a random assortment of green plants and strange flowers he hasn’t seen yet. The area seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world with only animals being the only thing Arthur saw come and go, it almost seemed magical. 

 

“Well, let’s see if Francine and Alice are here,” Kaliska dismounted, leading her horse by hand into the home grounds. Moving to the side, she motioned for the carts to gather onto the property. 

 

“Oh! There you are, finally!” A woman with a heavy French accent in a long navy skirt and a white button-up blouse walked up to the gang with a wicker basket filled with curious looking plants. 

 

Francine had her light brown hair in a bun, her circle spectacles hung off the bridge of her dainty pointed nose- framing her dark brown eyes. 

 

“Alice was driving me crazy, I don’t know how much more of her spiritual nonsense I can manage!” Francine moaned, tucking in a stray hair behind her ear. 

 

Bonnie hitched her horse and bounded over to give Francine a tight squeeze, “There ya are beautiful. I missed ya! How was my little Frenchie?” 

 

Francine clicked her tongue and held out her basket for Bonnie to hold, she looked over to see Dutch get out of the carriage- helping Molly climb down.

 

Walking towards Dutch with Kaliska and Bonnie, she gave a small curtsy of her skirt. “ _Bonjour,_ _monsieur_ van der Linde, Irene has told me much of your gang. Do you or anyone else require medical assistance?” 

 

“Ah, no we do not miss..?” He trailed off. 

 

“Francine Sinclair, very nice to meet you!” 

 

Dutch extended his hand and Francine placed hers in his, he kissed the tips of her knuckles, “ _ Enchanté,  _ Francine. Would you do us the kindness of showing us where to lodge?” 

 

“Ah, yes, Kaliska will you show them where they can set up. Dutch, you and your lovely lady can actually have a room at the house. There’s enough rooms there too for a few more. The rest must make do with the guest housing.” 

 

-

 

Violet stood in front of the fireplace of the house, picking up a well-kept photo of Irene and Esmerelda standing with a younger Bonnie with shorter hair and Kaliska with her stoic face in the photo. In front of them, Irene had both of her hands on the twins- their faces hopeful and traces of gunpowder rested on their chubby cheeks.

 

Her thumb grazed over the face of her mother’s, sighing and placing it back on the mantle. 

 

“Beautiful, isn’t she? I would argue that you looked exactly like her,” Francine approached her, smiling sweetly at Violet. 

 

“I’m glad to see you carry our lady’s traits, Violet. You may not remember me, I’m the one that helped to deliver you,” she continued. 

 

“A doctor, then?” Violet raised her eyebrows and Francine tilted her head. 

 

“Yes, I trained in secret in France and came here to ply my trade. Though nowadays I’m more of a scientist, studying medicine and the human body. I was given this place to study by your mother, away from the world and it’s trivial views on how a woman  _ should _ work,” she scoffed. “I dare say I’ve come up with some marvelous finds, I may apply a patent in the future for some of the medicine I’ve developed.”

 

Francine pushed up the side of her glasses with her pinkie and sighed, “I’m sorry for rambling, I’ll leave you to it. I’m just so happy to see you.” 

 

She gave Violet a small hug and disappeared up the stairs. Violet was left alone once more until she heard leather boots and the sounds of spurs hitting against the floor, she didn’t have to look behind her to see who it was. The smell of his musk filled her nose as he approached closer. 

 

“Arthur, are you finding yourself at home?” 

 

She could feel him smiling behind her, “This place has got to be one of the nicest we’ve stayed in. Miss Grimshaw already yelled at everyone to be on their best behavior and to not make a mess, this gang of yours is really something.” 

 

Violet turned around, hesitating. “Is this gang really mine? I haven’t done anything to deserve them.” 

 

“You’ll fill in those boots in no time, don’t worry so much about it.” 

 

“Those are some big boots to fill..” she scoffed. “My mother lived most of her life as an outlaw while I wasted away in the confines of the so-called noble life. I’m sure I’m seen as some lady playing pretend.” 

 

Arthur took her hand and guided her out onto the porch where they both sat down on the wooden bench to look at the mountain range together. 

 

“This might not seem much, but I would trust you with my life in a firefight. You’re smart and you act while other sit on their ass, to me that’s enough. To me you’ve more than proved yourself.” 

 

Violet leaned into Arthur, placing her head over his heart and he leaned back on the bench, wrapping one arm over Violet.

 

“You’re kind.. Arthur. You’re one of the kindest men I’ve ever met.” 

 

“Ah, no I ain’t-“ 

 

“Shut up, I won’t have you talk down to yourself. You hear me? You’re kind and a good man, that’s final.” 

 

“Heh, yes ma’am. Can’t refuse orders from the boss lady.. speaking of. Esmerelda said something about you having a plan of some sort?” 

 

Violet sighed, “Yes.. but. I need to work it over. I don’t wanna make any unnecessary risks. I don’t want anything to go wrong, if it does the government would crack down on us- especially you.”

 

“If only Dutch had the sense to think before he acted in Blackwater then maybe we wouldn’t have them on our tail..” 

 

“Mm, yes, but we wouldn’t have met, would we?” Violet smiled into his shirt, listening to his heartbeat quicken for a slight moment. 

 

“I suppose you’re right,” he laughed, patting down her hair with his other hand. 

 

Arthur’s laugh lofted Violet’s heavy heart, closing her eyes to focus on the sound even more to relish the moment and try to capture it forever- then that’s when she heard it. As he laughed, taking a breath after, she swore she heard his heart skip a couple beats and slow before picking up a normal pace once more. 

 

Violet frowned, pressing her ear closer to his chest to try and listen again- getting up once the heartbeat seemed to go back to normal. 

 

“Violet, what’s wrong?” 

 

“I.. I think it’s nothing. Sorry. Let’s head back inside.”

 

-

 

For supper time, they were all gathered in front of a fire. Quietly celebrating their beautiful new home and their almost peaceful escape from Saint Denis law.

 

Some sat down to enjoy the warmth of the fire while others talked amongst themselves in separate groups. Molly and Dutch sat on the porch of the house, his hand covering hers and her red locks matching the small blush that she had on her face. 

 

Near the fire, John and Arthur sat next to each other to share a drink and enjoy the serenity of the night. From the darkness of the tree line, emerged a shadowy figure that gracefully walked towards the group. Arriving near the fire, John looked up to see the pale face of the woman and spilled his drink as he shook. 

 

“Jesus! Where the hell did you come from.” 

 

She wore all black but dressed impeccably. Her black hair was tied up in an intricate plait, the only color she seemed to have on her was the white button shirt she had tucked in her long black skirt and the slight flush on her pale cheeks from the cold air that whipped across her face and her dark burgundy lips.

 

“My apologies, John Marston, Arthur Morgan,” the lady apologized and knelt down by the fire, letting her milky pale hand touch the tips of the fire and they watched as her dark eyes looked up at both of them. 

 

“I see a wolf next to a deer, not hunting, but together.” 

 

“Alice! Stop that, how many times-“ Francine hissed, exasperated but Alice ignored her and continued to look at the two men. 

 

“Do you believe in the devil and he that is holy, gentlemen?” She asked. 

 

“Can’t say that I believe much,” John said. 

 

“I guess,” Arthur replied.

 

Alice grinned, “You should, for they believe in you, gentlemen. Especially _ him _ , he’s eager to see what you do next. You first Arthur, then he waits for John.” 

 

Her words seemed like the ramblings of a mad woman, yet it seemed to send a chill down their backs that they couldn’t ignore. Alice got up just as Violet approached them, the fire now blowing in her direction. 

 

“Death awaits, how will you deal the hand you’ve been dealt with?” Alice continued to mumble, closing her eyes and turning towards Violet. 

 

“Violet, how lovely. Your mother wishes to speak with you, I can feel her presence at your side.”

 

“I- excuse me?” 

 

“Come to me later and you will see, and you should never ignore the telltale signs of the heart,” Alice chanted and she bowed her head before departing back to her cabin.

 

“What the fuck?” Violet turned to Francine for an answer.

 

Francine sighed. “That.. was Alice. She’s a strange one. But she means well, I promise you.” 

 

“Strange is one word for it,” John muttered under his breath before downing the rest of his beer. 

 

“I know this sounds maniacal, and I want to slap myself for even saying it- but, I think you should always listen to her even if it just sounds like nonsense,” Francine hesitated before continuing. “She predicted Irene’s death. Saying something about ‘the flower blooms from soil drenched in treachery.’” 

 

“We all thought she was full of shite,” Bonnie hummed, as she walked by the group. “But the day after she said that, Irene was found dead, so we take her a bit seriously these days. Of course that can just be superstition and she just made us all paranoid.” 

 

Francine frowned at Bonnie. 

 

“What?” Bonnie shrugged. 

 

“So, how’d you find that one,” Arthur asked.

 

“Irene always said that she found that woman wandering around the woods, yelling for some unknown man. And that when Irene tried calming her down, she couldn’t remember who she was-not even her own name. So Irene named her Alice, ya know, because she went a little crazy and too far down the rabbit hole?” Bonnie took a swig of her drink. 

 

“She always says she goes to see some man in black, I caught a glimpse once, the man was nicely dressed like her. Tried following but they both disappeared into the woods,” Bonnie continued. 

 

Violet looked towards the cabin that Alice disappeared to, feeling the eerie red glow in the window beckon her.

 

“Miss Bonnie, can you come talk to Karen? She- she’s drinking again. She’s been drinking for a while, do you mind talking to her?” Tilly emerged from the guest house and whispered to the Irish woman. 

 

“Are you sure you want me to go? I’ve only known her for a couple o’ days.”

 

“Well, she seems to get along with you so well, so I thought..” Tilly trailed off, looking to Bonnie with pleading eyes. 

 

“Okay, where is she?” 

 

-

 

Karen sat down on the far side of the ranch, under the apple trees with a drink in her hand. 

 

“Miss Jones, what are you doing out here? Everyone’s worried, let’s go back.” Bonnie extended her hand towards Karen and the drunken girl slapped it away. 

 

Karen’s blue eyes widened, flinched when Bonnie retracted her hand slowly and her face turned stone cold. 

 

“I-I’m fine. Go. Away,” she cried through gritted teeth, throwing her bottle on the ground and watching the contents spill onto the dirt. 

 

Bonnie knelt down besides her, taking off her coat and placing it around Karen’s bare shoulders, giving her a slight hug. “We both know you aren’t fine, love. Too much drink can-“ 

 

“Can what?! Turn me into an indecent woman with an indecent life? I’m already drunk and miserable, just please.. leave me be,” Karen choked, sobbing and pulling herself away from Bonnie’s touch. 

 

She looked up to the moon, the tears staining her cheeks and running down her trembling chin, “Sean, Jenny, the Callander boys.. it ain’t right. This life. I used to think this was all some grand ball and every night was some silly fantasy..” 

 

Bonnie reaches to turn Karen’s face towards her and placed both of her hands on her cheeks, using her thumb to wipe away the falling teardrops. 

 

“Listen to me, I don’t know how much you’ve all suffered. But as long as you’re with us, with me, I’ll keep you all safe. You have my word, Karen,” Bonnie spoke breathlessly. “Remember what I said, lass? Every happy ending comes after the bad stuff.” 

 

Karen smiled just a bit, leaning into Bonnie’s right hand and looking at the redhead with endearment. “Can you see me, miss Bonnie?” She whispered.

 

Bonnie tucked away her blonde strands behind her ears and smiled, “Aye, lass. I see you. All of you.” 

 

Karen Jones felt something prick at her heart, but it wasn’t a sad prick. She felt something blossom where her the cracks in her chest were, she began to notice that the hands holding her face were deliciously warm compared to the chilly air. The way Bonnie’s eyes shone like the jewels she often pickpocketed from the rich and the way her hair was a soft red in the night but still gave a blaze as if she was a lighthouse beckoning a ship to the coast- guaranteeing safe passage. Her cheeks heated as she smelled her scent, she smelled like the wilds and she felt like if she closed her eyes she could find herself free. 

 

Karen lifted her hand to touch the other woman’s hand, sighing deeply and looking up at her.

 

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could give everyone who’s having a bad day a hug and we could go get some boba tea or something. :(


	20. Chapter Twenty

Violet wondered if she should take Alice’s offer. There were always people in Saint Denis that claimed spiritual guidance, for a fee of course and Violet sometimes felt inclined to visit out of morbid curiosity to see if she could contact her mother. But Esmerelda always seemed to catch her, scolding her that the dead were not to be trifled with and that they were just after her money. She sat in a daze, staring at the dying embers of the campfire- and before she knew it, the sun soon began to rise to greet her face with its warmth.

 

_Had she really been sitting there that long?_

  


She rose to walk towards Alice’s domain- trying to ignore the numbness in her legs, before a hand stopped her, she looked up to see Francine’s worried face look down at her. Her hair was down and she had a shawl wrapped around her small shoulders. She looked down at Violet then up at Alice’s cabin, already knowing what Violet wanted to do.

 

“If that is your decision, then we cannot stop you.. but just know, this can be dangerous. I’ve.. seen things, strange things and noises from her cabin. Just be careful, Violet. Alice loves Irene and wouldn’t do anything to harm this gang, but I feel she loves her madness even more.”

 

Francine’s words sent a sinking feeling to her stomach, it was meant to be a warning- but now it sounded like an imminent threat.

 

“If you still want to go through with it you have to to wait- Alice is only ever awake at nighttime, she must be sleeping by now. Speaking of which, you should get some rest too.”

 

Violet agreed, thanking Francine and making her way up to her room in the house. Opening the door quietly to see a snoring Arthur splayed out on the large bed, one arm behind his head and another laid across where he expected her to be. She smiled, changing her clothes into just a button-up and her underwear-sliding underneath Arthur’s arm. His body moved to accommodate for hers and he grumbled as he turned to his side to pull her closer by her waist. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, letting his snores lull her to sleep.

 

-

 

Karen woke up in the cabin with the other girls already up, she got up and she heard a rustle as she looked down to see the dark brown leather jacket that covered her body. Confused, she picked it up to examine the item- it was familiar but she couldn’t remember how.

 

“Mornin’, Karen. Coffee?” Tilly asked, holding out a hot mug towards her.

 

Karen grumbled, holding her head as she tossed her legs over the bed. Her head had a pillar of pain stab her every time she moved, but she took the mug and mumbled a thank you.

 

“Tilly,” Karen spoke after taking a sip. “Whose jacket is that? What happened last night?”

 

“Oh, miss Bonnie went and found you drunk. She carried you back here and left the jacket because you looked cold, why?”

 

Karen felt her cheeks burn up as she lifted the mug to try and hide their color. Mary-Beth set her book down and gave Tilly a knowing smirk.

 

“Why don’t you give the jacket back? I’m sure Bonnie is cold now too,” Mary-Beth grinned and Karen grumbled as she set the mug down and held the jacket.  

 

“I know, I know,” Karen waved back as she marched out the door. She looked towards the sound of wood being hammered and saw the blaze of red hair.

 

“Uh.. excuse me,” Karen cleared her throat as she approached her.

 

Bonnie looked back, her forehead glistening with sweat as she dropped the wooden plank and hammer to stand up.

 

“Karen Jones, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Bonnie leaned back on the finished railing with one elbow and her legs crossed.

 

“I.. your jacket. Thought you might need it back,” Karen extended the jacket towards her.

 

Bonnie walked closer towards her and took the jacket, observing it and the person who gave it to her. Smiling, she set it around Karen’s shoulders and patted her arm. “I don’t need it right now, besides, looks cute on you.”

 

She winked at her and Karen watched as she unbuttoned the bottom part of her shirt and tied it up to reveal her toned stomach. Grabbing a ribbon from her satchel, she also tied up her hair in a makeshift bun, and continued working on the fence.

 

After a few minutes, Bonnie looked over her shoulder to see Karen stand there awkwardly. “You want to work, Karen or are you admirin’ the view?” She laughed as she pounded nails into the board.

 

“So what if I like what I see..” Karen started, stopping when she saw the hazel eyes that looked back.

 

The Irish woman’s smirk grew more evident, “I like what I see too. Get some breakfast, darling. We’ll talk later. And-“ Bonnie pointed her hammer at her “-gotta work on your drinking there, love. It’ll kill ya and I’d hate to see that consume you.”

 

Karen nodded silently and for the first time she didn’t fight back against the criticism.

 

-

 

Violet woke up when the sun already set, the darkness soon encroaching in the room and she stretched, reaching towards where Arthur was but only to find an empty spot.

 

Her stomach rumbled and she got up, stretching her aching body and reached the dresser to change her clothes. Opting for a simple blouse and skirt, she walked out to see the two gangs already in full swing. Something savory was cooking, she could smell the use of spices being mixed and meat being cooked.

 

Violet stood alone on the porch to watch the camp unwind and enjoy their night. Bill was drinking with Lenny, Swanson, and Uncle while Hosea told them tall tales of legends from the West. They were all laughing, making fun of the silly stories and even Hosea was having a hard time trying to keep a straight face as he told the most ridiculous of tales.

 

Javier and Esmerelda were sitting at another campfire singing a duet. Javier strummed his guitar to the beat of Esmerelda’s song as she sang in perfect harmony with Javier, while Helen and Elaine gave little Jack a wooden horse to play with- they showed him how to take it apart and put it back together.

 

Dutch and Molly sat with Arthur and Bonnie, sharing their tales of the most daring heists they’ve ever done and some of the dumbest fools they’ve ever met. John, Abigail, and Sadie sat around the fire- trying to sing along to Javier’s song with Tilly, Karen, and Mary-Beth looking for a dance partner.

 

Lenny volunteered to be Mary-Beth’s partner and they began to dance. Arthur looked up but only to be dragged into the dance by Tilly which he did his best at not stepping on her toes. Bonnie looked up to see Karen standing alone and walked towards her, bowing her head while extending her hand. Karen rolled her eyes playfully but took her hand, Bonnie led her with grace towards the dance. Dutch and Molly soon joined, laughing and whispering to each other as they enjoyed their first dance in a very long time.

 

Kaliska sat with Charles and Kieran, listening while Francine excitedly talked about theories that had them looking lost but nonetheless tried their best to keep up. Susan, Pearson, and Strauss we’re enjoying the ambience, satisfied just by looking at the happy camp.

 

It was a while since everyone was this happy and they all tried to enjoy it. Violet leaned on the wooden pillar of the porch, smiling to herself- it was the first time she had seen them all so content and joyful, without having to look behind their shoulders for anyone that wanted to take it away from them.

 

Then it dawned on her- if the plan she had in mind would fail, the happy picture she saw in front of her would be up in flames. Insecurity filled her, her nails digging into her arm- the habit she had when uncertainty clouded her mind.

 

_Failure_

 

She shut her eyes and tried to will it out of her mind. She didn’t want to fail them, she didn’t want anyone else to die, but she didn’t want to run away. If they ran, they would be chased forever.

 

The wind blew her hair ferociously and an eerie red glow caught her eye. Violet looked to the other side of the festivities to see Alice’s pale face look towards her. Her black hair was loosened around her and framed her face, she looked like a tall porcelain doll standing under the moonlight. She wore a black dress and held a lantern of red glass, releasing an unsettling g glow that surrounded her. Alice bowed her head at Violet, motioning to follow as she turned towards the dark forest and made her way towards the tree line- looking as if she was floating over the grass.

 

Violet held up her dress slightly and followed after Alice, picking up the pace when the red light seemed further away.

 

_How was she walking so fast?_

 

The gang was so caught up in their own banter that they didn’t notice Violet and Alice disappear into the darkness completely.

 

Her eyes scanned the dense woods around her for the red light, squinting and stalking the forest floor quietly- as if any loud movement would wake some unknown beast within the woods.

 

She felt a chill and goosebumps rise on her arm, she felt like she was being watched and her breath slowed when she realized she couldn’t even hear the sounds of animals or insects. She was completely alone.

 

“Alice?” Violet called out to no avail.

 

“ _Look,”_ she heard a whisper and Violet saw a dim red glow ahead of her. She sprinted towards it, being careful not to trip over the large roots under her.

 

“Alice??” Violet called out again when she was closer. The red light glowing behind Alice’s figure, her pale face awash with the lighting and her solemn dark eyes bore into Violet.

 

“Here is good, let us speak,” Alice sat on a large boulder, she motioned for Violet to sit on a pile of dead flowers in front of her. Hesitantly, she sat down- feeling the crunch of the dead floral bed beneath her.

 

“Before we begin, are you okay with this?” Alice warned, her eyes bearing down on Violet.

 

Violet nodded, “Yes.”

 

Alice leaned back, satisfied. She reached for the silver chain around her neck to retrieve a glass vial with a viscous fluid that sloshed around. Popping the vial open, Alice motioned for Violet to drink. She hesitated before taking the vial, tipping its contents into her mouth and she closed her mouth tightly to prevent any of the liquid to spill out.

 

It was vile, to say the least. Bitter and disgusting, with a floral aftertaste. As if she stuck her face into a garden and ate the dirt along with the flower. When she swallowed, Violet felt silly sitting on the forest floor with a woman she barely knew- claiming to see her dead mother. She wanted to laugh at herself, she felt so pathetic.

 

She looked up to Alice to excuse herself when her vision blurred at the edges, her vision was clouded and her head felt as if someone was banging on her brain with a stone mallet. She tried to get up, clenching her fists, and biting her lip till she felt the skin break under her teeth.

 

Alice knelt down and smoothed over Violet’s hair, “Don’t fight it. Trust me.”

 

Before she knew it, Violet blacked out.

 

-

 

Violet awoke to the forest awash in a soft amber hue. She looked to where Alice sat, but in her place was a beautiful woman dressed in black and red. The woman tipped her hat up and smiled at Violet, getting up before Violet could say anything and motioned for Violet to follow her.

 

“ _Mother?”_ Violet wanted to yell but the words left her mouth as a whisper.

 

The forest around them disappeared and she was in a lavish study that looked similar to the one her father owned in Saint Denis.

 

The scene unfolded in front of her was hazy, she saw her mother storm in the office with papers in hand. Slamming them down on the desk, she pulled the man behind the desk with his tie.

 

“ _You dirty bastard, I didn’t know it was possible for you to stoop so low.”_

 

The man smirked, much to her mother’s disgust. “ _I don’t know what you’re talking about.”_

 

_“You made a deal with that devil, does your greed know no limits?!”_

 

The man was silent, slinking back into his chair as Irene slammed the door on her way out.

 

The image of the office was gone and Violet looked at another office. Looking out of the window, she saw the ocean on the horizon with bustling streets down below her. Automobiles and folk dressed in lavish clothing- they were in New York. Looking at the sign hanging outside the window, she saw the words ‘ _Wilhelm’s & Co.’ _

 

“ _Alright, please sign here.. and here.. Miss Irene, are you sure about this? Does your husband-“_

 

_“Everything I’m doing is perfectly legal and once signed, he cannot touch it.”_ Irene looked up at the man in front of her with cold eyes, “ _Is that clear?”_

 

“ _I.. Yes. Yes, Irene.”_

 

Slowly the image faded out and Violet was in her room at Saint Denis again, looking at a younger version of herself playing with a small rag doll. She looked up at her mother who braided her hair with a smile, humming the tune she always sang. Violet almost forgot that song, it was what her mother sang when Violet was scared.

 

Lighting struck outside the window and small Violet jumped up into her mother’s arm, gripping onto her sleeves. Irene laughed and held Violet tightly, “ _I’m sure you’ll grow to be beautiful and strong.”_

 

She set her down and caressed young Violet’s plump cheeks, placing a long kiss on her forehead.

 

“ _Can you be strong for your mother?”_

 

_“Yes.. wha- where are you going?”_

 

_“No matter where I go, I’ll always be with you my dear.”_ Irene took off her gold necklace and wrapped it around her daughter’s neck.

 

Irene tucked the little girl into bed, giving her one last kiss before she slipped out of the room. The serene expression of hers turning dark once she walked into the office. Her father looked up to Irene.

 

_“So you were in New York.. what were you doing?”_

 

_“I don’t see how that’s any of your damn business.”_

 

Her father glared at Irene, bringing his fist down on the desk. “ _Tell me, fucking harlot! Did you sell me out?”_

 

_“Go. Fuck. Yourself.”_

 

Her father fumed calling for the guards stationed outside to come to the room, on his command one guard bashed Irene in the stomach with the butt of his rifle- bringing her to her knees. Taking out his gun, he lifted Irene’s chin with the revolver.

 

“ _One last chance, sweetheart. What were you doing in New York?”_

 

_“I’ll take that secret to my grave,”_ Irene grinned and her father fumed even more, yelling at the men to lock the door.

 

Violet watched silently as the doors in front of her shut and her father positioned himself behind Irene, lowering his gun and fired.

 

A hand touched her shoulder and Violet looked to see her mother, she was quick to hug her but as her arms wrapped around Irene’s body- she felt nothing but air. Violet took a step back and her mother looked at her with sad, depressed eyes.

 

_“I’m sorry, I thought to protect you this way. As I lived as an outlaw, I realized that this life isn’t something I want for you. The age of outlaws is coming to an end, if we want to continue surviving- we have to adapt. I want you to live on, freely and without worry for the law. I could’ve fought back, but violence will only start the cycle all over.”_

 

Irene stepped towards her daughter, tears welling up in her eyes.

 

“ _As I expected, you’ve grown so beautiful and so strong.. I want you to be better. Don’t repeat this cycle, go to New York. Find what I’ve left for you..”_

 

She began to back away and Violet started towards her, refusing to let her go. She opened her mouth to scream but her own voice failed her.

 

“ _Oh.. and make sure you keep those van der Linde boys out of trouble.”_

 

Irene gave her one last smile and winked.

 

“ _Goodbye, Violet.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excessively long chapter today, but as always- your kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Violet’s eyes fluttered open, the scent of the forest floor surrounding her as she arose from the ground. Shaking the dead flowers from her hair, she noticed the absence of another person- she was completely alone. 

 

The effects of whatever concoction that Alice made her drink still affected her, the pain in her head becoming more prominent as she struggled to get on her feet. Using trees to support her weight, Violet staggered as she walked while feeling her stomach trying to digest the strange drug she took. 

 

_ What in the fuck did Alice give me?  _

 

She cursed, catching her breath as she tried to make her way back home. She couldn’t be too far from the place, right? 

 

-

 

“Violet? Violet??” Arthur called around the camp. Looking in different rooms and asking everyone where they had last seen her. 

 

“What’s the matter?” Esmerelda finally asked, arms crossed. 

 

“Violet, I haven’t seen her since last night.” 

 

Esmerelda’s brow furrowed, looking towards the woods and scanning the tree line and squinting when she saw a person emerge from a bush. 

 

“Violet?” They both ran towards the figure and Arthur breathed out a sigh of relief when Violet’s disheveled self looked up at him with wary eyes. 

 

“Arthur,” she greeted weakly. “Good morning.” 

 

Dirt smudged on her cheeks and leaves stuck to her scruffy hair. 

 

“Oh, Violet.. what happened to you?” Esmerelda pulled her up, plucking the leaves off of her hair. 

 

“Mmm, Alice gave me something weird, I saw momma,” Violet slurred, her eyes heavy with fatigue. 

 

“That strange woman, I need to talk to her later.. let’s get you cleaned up. Arthur, lend me a hand?”

 

“No.. I have to go to New York.. now!” Violet groaned as Arthur lifted her up in his arms to carry her back to the house. 

 

As Esmerelda took Violet into the bathroom, filling the tub up with water, and guided her in to get her cleaned. 

 

“New York.. mother left something,” Violet kept mumbling as she absent-mindedly scrubbed herself clean. 

 

“What’s this nonsense about New York? You just need to rest, you’re tired,” Esmerelda sighed as she poured water over Violet’s head and helped her dress into fresh clothes. 

 

She obediently followed directions, the drugs still tainting her mind. She didn’t fight back once her head laid on the soft pillow of her room, laying back to close her eyes until she saw Arthur enter the room.

 

“Arthur,” Violet whispered, reaching for his hand and holding it to her face. 

 

“Hush now, missy. You need rest.” He stroked her cheek softly, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip. 

 

He then turned his face away as he coughed into his arm, his back heaving with each breath. 

 

“Arthur.. you’re coughing again..” Violet started to get up, worried that it was a sign of worse things to come. 

 

“It ain’t nothing,” Arthur replied, pushing Violet back gently onto the bed. “Get some sleep, princess. We’ll talk when you’re up.” 

 

He left the room and Violet heard him cough even as he walked down the hallway.

 

-

 

Arthur walked back into the room with a bowl of food, opening the door, and seeing Violet stuff clothes into a suitcase hastily. 

 

“What are you doing?” Arthur set the bowl aside, approaching her. 

 

“I have to go to New York, there’s something there for me,” Violet replied simply. She stuck a pistol in the sash around her waist, making sure boxes of ammo were stashed in her satchel.

 

He sighed, “I.. New York? What are you looking for?” 

 

Arthur was hesitant, understandably so. New York was swarming with civilization, cops, and other horrid things. A cowboy with dirt on his shirt and scruff on his face would stick out like a sore thumb. 

 

Violet seemed to read his mind as she looked up at him. “You don’t have to come, I’ll go alone. I already told Esmerelda that I’m going with or without her blessing.”

 

“I can’t explain what I saw Arthur. But I still want to see if whatever dream or vision I had is true, it felt so real. I won’t be long- it’s just a few hours north, I’ll go there and back plus it might be faster with just me going,” Violet talked to him as she continued to prepare for the trip. 

 

He held her by her arm, looking down at her with a serious expression, “I’m coming with you. I don’t care what you say.” 

 

“You sure? There’s going to be civilized people there, Arthur. Not your favorite,” she laughed. 

 

He pulled her close to him, “I’m there for you, not them.” 

 

“Then make sure you be a good boy, we don’t need trouble in New York,” she smirked, giving him a peck on his lips. 

 

-

 

They left at first light, taking their horses, and riding before the rest of the gang woke up. Violet insisted that Arthur change into the outfit she had in mind, to avoid any type of trouble. He rubbed his hand across the shadow of a beard on his face, adjusting the tie below his neck as he rode alongside Violet. 

 

The ride took them through the countryside and as they neared the coast, more and more complex structures were available as they neared one of the most prominent cities in North America. 

 

“Howdy, mister,” Arthur greeted a man in a suit who rode past them.

 

“Uh, yes. Hello, fellow countryman,” the man nervously tipped his bowler hat. 

 

“Excuse me sir, how close are we to New York?” 

 

“Ah, hello young miss! You should be an hour or so away, not that far!” The stranger smiled and Violet thanked him as they rode ahead. 

 

Violet reached to squeeze Arthur’s hand as they saw more men in uniform when they began to see tall skyscrapers in the horizon. The smell of the fresh countryside was soon replaced with heavy industrial air. 

 

“New York.. Liam told me all about it once,” Violet breathed. 

 

Arthur groaned, already imagining the amount of detestable people he would meet. The smell of smog irritated his throat, was this really the central of so-called civilization?

 

Violet looked at Arthur with sympathy, “We’ll be quick, honest. Let’s find a hotel to stay in first.”

 

“Sure.” 

 

They both opted for a hotel near the coast, ignoring the looks they both received from the citizens- horses were a rare occurrence these days in New York since the introduction of automobiles.

 

Taking their briefcases from the side of their horses, the innkeep looked up as Violet gave her most charming smile while sliding him three crisp dollars for the best room in the house. Handing over the keys, Violet thanked him, and motioned for Arthur to follow with their luggage. The room overlooked the pier out onto the ocean, the salty spray intermixing with the smell of the city. 

 

Violet looked over the edge of the patio to look at the amount of buildings that faced towards the ocean, one of them contained whatever Irene had left for her. She looked up, the sun was still high in the sky- almost getting ready to touch the surface of the ocean. 

 

_ I could probably start looking today. _ She looked behind her to see Arthur recline on the bed, groaning as the springs creaked under him.

 

“I’m going to search around for a bit, you can rest here,” Violet leaned down to give Arthur a kiss on the forehead. “I might be gone for a couple hours.”

 

“No, lemme come with you,” Arthur began to get up but Violet pushed him down with her hand, smirking down at him.

 

“Rest, cowboy. Did you forget I’m used to wandering alone?” She winked at him and exited the room, leaving Arthur to rest against the bed. 

 

-

 

Violet lifted the front of her skirt and traversed the cobblestone streets of New York, it was slightly chilly up north and she had gotten used to the Lemoyne heat.

 

Looking up at the buildings, she tried her best to remember what her mother showed her. A tall building looking down at the street and faced the ocean- unfortunately, most of the buildings on this street fit that requirement.

 

She racked her brain trying to remember the name.  _ William? Wilkinson?   _

 

She stopped when she looked up to see a prestigious looking sign that covered the side of the building in gaudy fashion. 

 

“ _ Wilhelm’s & Co.”  _

 

The pieces soon fit together and Violet crossed the street hastily, only stopping when her hand was on the door. The overbearing curiosity was soon replaced with dread. 

 

_ Am I going to look like a fool when I march in there to demand something that I saw from a vision? They would lock me up in a madhouse. There’s no proof that it was even real. _

 

She reached on her left forearm to pinch herself hard, she took a deep breath and walked inside towards the front desk- ready to see what her mother left behind.

 

-

 

“Hey! Go smoke somewhere else, your ash is dropping on me!” A man yelled from the floor below Arthur’s. Arthur clicked his teeth, annoyed. He just wanted a smoke on the balcony but he was bothered by the whining man below. Arthur looked down at the scrawny man in a brown suit, small, he could probably go down there and tell him otherwise while robbing him of everything he had-

 

He slapped himself mentally, “Behave, Morgan.” 

 

He grumbled as he pinched the end of the cigarette with his fingers, snuffing the flame. He exited the hotel and leaned on the side of the brick building, bringing up the cigarette to his lips to light it. Exhaling the smoke, he brushed the ash off his Parisian vest and pocketed the rest of his cigarettes in the pocket of his suit. 

 

The sound of waves brought him piece along with the squabble of seagulls, then he heard a familiar voice call his name.

 

“Arthur?? Oh, Arthur!”

 

His eyes widened, looking at the woman waving to get his attention. 

 

“Mary..?”


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

“Mary,” Arthur greeted his old flame. She was dressed beautifully today, her hair was in soft curls around her and she wore a lovely dress that was akin to the styles he found in New York women.

 

“Arthur! You.. you look so good,” she eyed his expensive suit and he adjusted his tie nervously.

 

“Look, this ain’t-“

 

“I was waiting.. for a letter from you. To meet you here, it’s like fate wanted us to be together, huh?”  

 

Mary flashed Arthur a smile, the type of smile she used to give him so often when they were young and in love. His heart started to ache.

 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, looking around him.

 

“I came here to visit Jamie, he goes to a college here in New York. What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m waiting for- for.. err,” Arthur trailed off. What should he say? What actually was his relationship to Violet? Friends? Lovers?

 

_She ain’t say she loved me though. Does she even feel like that towards me?_

 

“Oh, it’s okay Arthur. You don’t have to say. I’m enjoying the scenery, want to accompany me?” Mary held out her hand towards him.

 

Arthur sighed, looking around him and then looked at how Mary gazed at him lovingly- a way that she hasn’t looked at him for years.

 

“Sure.”

 

-

 

Violet faced a pudgy man across a large oak desk. He pushed his glasses up and smiled nervously at the woman across from him.

 

“For a moment when you walked in that door, you looked exactly like Irene. Oh if she could see you now.. I bet she would be proud.”

 

She cleared her throat, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir..?”

 

“Ah, Wilhelm. Jude Wilhelm. I’m assuming you’re here because of _that.”_

 

“I’ll be honest, I don’t even know what to expect..”

 

Jude’s eyes shone, “Well, you’re in for a treat. I was hoping this day would come. You see..”

 

He got up, pulling an archaic looking key from his tailored suit- inserting it in a slot behind him. Retrieving the box, he placed it on the desk with a loud _thud._

 

Leaning down, he blew away the dust and Violet watched as he continued to open the box while taking care to not shake the contents. Once opened, he turned the box towards her and Violet leaned forward in excited anticipation. When she peered in, she was shocked to find just papers in an orderly fashion.

 

Her silence made him laugh jovially. “It might not look like much.. but take a closer look. You’ll see it’s worth soon.”

 

Violet reached in, going through the multiple documents arranged neatly in the box. She reached for the one on top, reading the contents quietly.

 

Her eyes widened, glancing up at Jude with genuine shock written over her face.

 

“How-“

 

“Your mother loved you child. She wanted to leave you with something you can build your own.. I’m aware she was an outlaw, but she wanted you to be so much more,” Jude smiled at Violet, handing her the key he used to unlock the box.

 

She felt emotions, confusion, shock, uncertainty- but happiness was the most prevalent.

 

“What shall I do with these?” She mumbled.

 

“Whatever you want to do.”

 

Violet got up, taking the papers in a file and was ready to excuse herself until Jude stopped her once more.

 

“Ah before you go.. this might be a little too extravagant- but, indulge me,”

He waved a document in front of her face which she took and inspected it.

 

“In this business, making friends in high places is important. I thought it might be beneficial for you, Violet,” he pushed up his glasses and smiled. “You just need something to wear and possibly a partner. I’ve got two invites with a plus one- just in case.”

 

Violet grinned, “I think I have someone in mind.”

 

Her thoughts drifted off to a certain grumpy man in a suit that was waiting for her back at their hotel room.

 

-

 

“Oh, look! They’re bringing in people from the ferry!” Mary tugged on Arthur’s arm, pointing at the groups of blue bloods that teetered off the ferry. Women with fluffy dresses hiding their faces behind their feathered fans that giggled at the men who tried looking more masculine than the other men next to them.

 

“Ooh, Daddy always talked about going to fancy parties like those, dressin’ up real nice and dancing the night away. Oh, I could dream,” Mary smiled dreamily, her eyes looking towards the dock from afar.

 

“Spare some change, miss?” A man with tattered clothes and sullen face asked them weakly, holding out his hand.

 

Mary’s eyes widened, looking to Arthur as he sighed and handed the beggar three dollars.

 

“Oh, thank you! You’re a good man!” The beggar gave them a toothless smile and headed off. Mary looked up to smile at the man next to her.

 

“That was kind, I remember the days where you wouldn’t give them a single penny.”

 

“Ahoy there, old man. Spare us some change too?” A trio of men approached the couple, smirking as they surrounded them. “Come on, we’re hungry too.”

 

The man who spoke first eyed Mary, his grin revealing yellowed and chipped teeth. “Orrr.. instead of change- let us leave with the little lady and we’ll leave you alone.”

 

“Like hell I would,” Arthur growled. He didn’t have his pistol with him, that would only stir unwanted attention. His shoulder squared, his spine straightened just a bit as he eyed the man.

 

“Leave the lady alone or should we involve the cops in this,” Arthur said lowly, eyeing a lawman patrolling nearby. He was bluffing, the last thing he wanted as the law being involved in something so minor. He would probably be recognized and Violet would have to bail him out, all unnecessary trouble.

 

The man frowned, looking over his shoulder and cursing. “Come on, this old bastard ain’t worth the trouble.”

 

The other two followed, looking back at Arthur with devious expressions before running off into an alleyway.

 

“You handled that surprisingly well, I was half expecting you to start a fistfight right here!”

 

“I’ve changed, Mary,” Arthur brushed his hands through his hair.

 

“You have and I appreciate that..” She smiled at him. “Arthur.. do you think that we can-“

 

“It’s getting late, why don’t I walk you back? I have an engagement to attend to.”

 

Mary’s smile faltered for only a bit as she nodded and walked briskly beside him on the way back.

 

“The place I’m staying at is on the way to yours actually, it’s fortunate it’s so close so that we can see each other again.”

 

Arthur hummed and nodded his head, his fist clenching.

 

_I gotta tell her. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore, Mary._

 

As they neared his inn, he stopped suddenly- turning around to face Mary.

 

“Mary, listen. I’ve been trying to tell you all day..” he placed his hands on her shoulders, gently giving her a squeeze and looking down as her eyes widened in anticipation.

 

“Yes, Arthur?”

 

“We’ve been through a lot, you and I both know. And, well, I think that it might be best if we-“

 

“ _‘EY WATCH IT!”_ A man driving a coach roared at the pedestrians, his horse was galloping on the sidewalks as the driver tried his best to control the rampaging animal.

 

“Watch out!” Arthur yelled, pulling Mary into his arms and pushing her against the wall with his body over hers for protection. Pressing her against the wall until he saw the carriage pass by them without any trouble.

 

“That was close,” Arthur breathed, he looked down to Mary. “You okay?”

 

His words were soon lodged in his throat when he noticed how close they were, her nose almost touching his chin and he could smell the perfume she wore.

 

Mary placed her hand on his cheek, her lips now closer to his mouth. “Arthur..”

 

“ _Arthur!_ I saw the carriage crashing through here, are you-“

 

His eyes snapped up to the side, his breath locked in his throat once more when he saw Violet standing a few yards away. Her face was crestfallen for only a minute before she tightened her fist and reverted back to a stoic -almost cold,  expression.

 

“Good evening, have I interrupted something?”

 

Arthur backed away immediately, feeling pain stab his heart. He felt like a goddamn fool, his loss for words contributed to that feeling even more.”

 

“Is this the friend you were supposed to meet up with?” Mary cleared her throat.

 

He looked back at her with shock, “No she ain’t-“

 

“Yes. _Friends._ I’m just an associate of Arthur Morgan,” Violet gave Mary a small smile, then turned towards Arthur. “Nothing more than that.”

 

Violet’s fist loosened, feeling the paper invitation she held tightly in her hands.

 

Giving her best professional smile, she extended one of the invites to Mary, “Tomorrow night is an extravagant event held by New York’s finest. I’ve two invitations, you can take one.”

 

“Oh are you sure? Well I’ll see if there’s anything to wear, miss..?”

 

“Violet Steele, and you?” The two women shook hands.

 

“Mary Linton,” she smiled.

 

“Mary? Arthur has told me quite a bit, I hope to see you at the event tomorrow. You two would make an excellent couple,” Violet bowed her head, giving her a genuine smile.

 

“Thank you, Violet. I look forward to it!” Mary turned to Arthur with excitement in her eyes.

 

“It’s getting late, won’t you escort her home mister Morgan?” Violet said coolly.

 

Arthur could only nod and Violet watched as Mary took his arm to walk down the street.

 

-

 

By the time Arthur bade Mary goodbye, he spent the whole walk back thinking of what to say to Violet. How he could explain the whole situation without sounding like an idiot. He couldn’t forget her face when she saw him and Mary together, someone so strong as her could still be heartbroken.

 

As he entered the hotel, the man at the front desk looked up and called to him.

 

“Hello sir, I was instructed to inform you that your associate has moved into another open room and that- sir?”

 

The rest of his words fell on deaf ears as Arthur jogged up the stairs and down to his room to see Violet taking her suitcase out of their shared room.

 

“Violet? Why you moving rooms?” He began and Violet flinched, turning her face away from him as she hurried to unlock her room. As he neared her, she threw her suitcase in her room and began to close the door. Arthur lodged his foot to catch the door, looking at her as she hid her face behind the door.

 

“Why are you doing this..” Arthur asked, his own heart beginning to ache.

 

“I’m tired, mister Morgan. Goodnight.” She whispered.

 

“But-“

 

“I said goodnight,” she kicked his foot out of the doorway and slammed it shut, bolting the lock.

 

Arthur sighed, walking to his room in defeat. Entering his room he collapsed onto the bed, covering his eyes with his hand.

 

_How did it get so fucked?_

 

Behind Violet’s room, she had her back on the door. As she sighed, she hiccuped as the tears started to fall from her eyes. Sliding down the door, she bit her lip trying to contain her sobs- hoping Arthur didn’t hear her next door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, Kingdom Hearts 3 currently owns my ass.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

_Arthur stood in a field of grass, overlooking the immense expanse of the plains of God-knows-where. His hands reached down to touch the unattended weeds that grew to touch the tips of his fingers as if they were alive with a conscious. He wandered, his blue eyes scanning the horizon and the setting sun which seemed frozen in place in the sky._

 

_“Arthur!”_

 

_He heard his name and turned to respond, Mary smiled as she waved to him with the wind blowing through her hair._

 

_“Arthur.”_

 

_His ears pricked, turning around he saw Violet standing against the setting sun. The sun setting in the west. She gave him her signature smile, holding out her hand to await his._

 

_Arthur Morgan’s head seemed like it was about to explode, the women calling out to him over the rushing winds._

 

_-_

 

Taking a long drag of his cigarette, he flicked it to the ground and groaned when the tobacco did nothing to soothe his mind. What kind of symbolic ass dream did he just have??

 

Beside him, the hotel door opened with the bell chiming and his tired eyes widened when he met with Violet’s sullen looking face. Neither of them looked like they had gotten much sleep.

 

“Morgan,” she greeted him and immediately turned to walk down the street.

 

“Hey! Where you going? Lemme come with you,” he called after her and jogged to her side. “Come on, it ain’t safe. I’ll come with you.”

 

Her eyes looked at him, holding his stare for a couple of breaths before sighing in defeat. “Don’t fall behind.”

 

-

 

They had stopped at multiple shops, picking up packages upon packages- all of them wrapped and topped with a pristine bow.

 

“What are these?” Arthur couldn’t help but ask, balancing them atop each other.

 

“My dress…” She trailed off. “And your suit. I bought it yesterday, matching. Had I known you would’ve had another partner, I would’ve just bought my dress.”

 

She walked out of the shop, holding the door open for him with her foot. Withdrawing it as soon as he exited the door and walking ahead of him down towards the hotel.

 

Violet clicked her tongue, motioning for Arthur to stop. “Too many people, we should move another route.”

 

She weaves through the crowd and Arthur sighed as he followed, his eyes looking over the crowd of heads that watched an automobile accident that blocked most of the road.

 

_Damn city folks and their machines._

 

They made their way towards an alleyway that was relatively dark, Arthur squinted but used his ears to follow Violet through as the bottom of her boots clicked against the moist pavement.

 

“Well, well, ain’t it the same old man from yesterday!”

 

Arthur froze, his attitude souring as he recognized the voice. That dumb ass from yesterday found him. The same ugly mug with the yellowed smile and his equally ugly lackeys.

 

“Look, I don’t want no trouble-“

 

“Ooh, and he brought along a new toy,” another voice laughed as they admired Violet. “This one’s younger.”

 

“I think she’s too damn pretty for that old coot.”

 

Violet turned, facing the leader of the trio- giving him her sweetest smile.

 

“What would you want with dear old Arthur there? I hope he hasn’t caused you gentlemen trouble,” she stifled a giggle.

 

Arthur opened his mouth to protest but shut his mouth when Violet shot him a glare and brought her finger to her lips.

 

“How ‘bout you come with us, sweetheart. And we’ll leave your grandpa alone,” the man approached her and squared his shoulders, giving the appearance of looking a tad bit muscular.

 

“Hmmm.. are you vigorous?” Violet looked up at him through her eyelashes.

 

His yellowed smile widened even more, “More than you can ever handle.”

 

“Prove it.”

 

“Wha-“ the man was caught off guard as Violet pushed him against the wall with her gloved hand, shyly looking at him and down at his groin. He released a satisfied grunt as her fingers drummed along his chest and she smiled with lust dancing in her eyes. His two friends whistled as Violet traces her hand down towards his waist- and then with unprecedented speed, she unsheathed a knife and held the tip at the side of his neck. Her other hand reaching in her sash to reveal her hidden pistol, aiming at the one closest to Arthur.

 

“Get the fuck out of here or you’ll lose an ear-“ she dragged the knife up to the base of his fleshy lobe then focused her attention at the one she aimed her gun at “-and you’ll lose your miserable life. Which will it be?”

 

“Wha- What the fuck. Just let us go you crazy bit-“

 

Violet flipped the weapon to the blunt end and slammed it against the side of his temple, his body going limp and sliding down the brick wall. Now with her knife hand free, she pulled out another pistol and aimed it at the other man. They yelped as they raised their hands up, nervously looking down to their unconscious friend and up at the woman before making a break for it- screaming pathetically.

 

Putting her gun back into hidden holsters under her sash, she motioned for Arthur to follow her once more.

 

“You comin’?” She said with a bored expression that turned into mild amusement as she saw Arthur examine the scene with widened eyes.

 

“Don’t forget the type of woman I am, Morgan.”

 

-

 

Once returning to the hotel, they had already split off into their respective rooms. Violet taking her package from him as she slinked back into her room without another word and leave Arthur to figure out the new fancy clothes for himself.

 

He made sure to take a bath, scrubbing his skin until it felt raw and told the bath woman to go away when he insisted he didn’t need the deluxe bath option. He splashed his face with the now lukewarm water before exiting the tub, the droplets of water staining the wood under him as he wrapped the unbearably small towel around his waist to walk back to his room. On the way, Violet opened her door- stopping when she saw Arthur’s almost nude body with his large tanned arms trying to hold the small towel against his body.

 

A mischievous smirk played on her lips as she looked at the v-shaped cut that led towards his pelvis and the toned body from years of living rough as an outlaw, she looked up at him with the smirk still present on her lips. Giving him a subtle “nice ass” as she passed, headed to the bathroom wash up as well.

 

Arthur grumbled, missing the mischievous expressions that she made. He couldn’t help but notice something was different about her, something that demanded subordination; his thoughts automatically ran to the first night with her, how she was on top. Controlling the pace at her own preference, that’s when he should’ve realized- this woman seemed to embody the soul of what outlaws used to be.

 

He dressed himself up as he ran his fingers through his hair and fixed his tie, hearing the familiar sound of horses clopping against the stone road outside. The sun was beginning to set and signaled that it was time for this event.

 

_If it weren’t for this mess with Mary.._

 

He sighed, hating modern civilization as it but when he was with Violet- he enjoyed some of its aspect. She had a way of keeping it interesting, not caring about the restrictions of societal rule.

 

Walked out, Mary beamed when her eyes laid on him. She wore a silken dark green dress that ruffled at the edges, the sleeves were slightly puffy and pearls adorned her neck with her hair in a high bun to show off the pearl earrings that hung from her delicate ears.

“You look nice, Mary.”

 

“You clean up nicely, wish you would’ve done that more in the past,” she took his arm.

 

Arthur grumbled something unintelligible, motioning for the driver to look his way.

 

“Invitation to the party?” The driver asked, opening his gloved hand. Arthur handed him the envelope and waited patiently for the driver to read the document before he handed it back to him with a satisfied nod, motioning for the couple to get in.

 

“Is Violet coming?” Arthur asked.

 

“I’m afraid miss Steele will take another carriage to the party, she instructed for you two to be taken ahead of her.”

 

With that, the driver whipped the horse and the carriage lurched forward. Arthur looked out at the city nightlight, silence filling the carriage.

 

“What’s wrong, Arthur? Nervous?” Mary whispered.

 

His eyes met hers, the wide brown eyes he fell in love once upon a time.

 

“We need to talk, Mary. I needed to tell you something yesterday but I never got a chance to,” he replied, turning his body so it faced her.

 

“Yes?” Her doe eyes shone from the gaslight lanterns that passed them by as their carriage rode through the streets.

 

The words he had built up soon collapsed as Arthur mustered his strength to try and end this.

 

“I was trying to say that you and I, we need to-“

 

“We’re here, please watch your step.”

 

The driver hopped off, rocking the carriage from the absence of his weight as he opened the door for the couple.

 

“Enjoy the party!”

 

Arthur nodded at the driver, cursing himself for his apparent cowardice.

 

They approached a grand building with a walkway that encircled a large fountain with a naked gilded cherub resting atop with his arrow pointed towards Arthur.

 

“Ah, you just be miss Steele’s guests! You’re to sit over here, dinner will be served shortly.”

 

A butler led them to a table for two on a raised balcony that overlooked the other guests mulling into the building, the lush red carpet covering the entirety of the hall leading into the main ballroom that comprised almost entirely of gold and white marble. An orchestra was hidden behind screen doors but their music echoed through the hallway, greeting the ears of everyone who entered.

 

The guests filed in, funnily enough each of them were in pairs- not one person showed up single. Arthur cursed, wondering who Violet would show up with. A rich oil tycoon? A foreign prince who already pledged all of his assets to her?

 

And that’s when he saw her, almost missing her amongst the crowd that moved as she pushed forward with her chin held up high.

 

Her hair was loose, the front ends held behind her head with jewel encrusted combs. The sleeveless dress she wore was black with the small gems embedded into the fabric shown under the light, giving the illusion that her dress was made of pure starlight. The top of her dress was hemmed with small black feathers and cut into a heart shape that teasingly curved over the mounds of her breasts, leaving her bare arms and chest to show with a silver necklace dangling off her neck. Arthur also noted that she came alone, but the males that surrounded her looked at her with want while the females looked at her with disdain.

 

“Ooh, is that Violet? She looks beautiful.” Mary mused.

 

“Yeah.. she does,” Arthur murmured.

 

The lights went dim, the music stopped and all attention went towards a person clearing his throat on a microphone as he stepped onto a small raised dais near the wall.

 

“Well, ladies and gentlemen. We want to thank to coming for this social gathering, it’s an honor for you to make time in your busy lives to associate with one another..” the man stopped briefly, looking around until his eyes lit up and holding a hand to point towards Violet’s direction.

 

“Miss Steele is here to announce her new venture into the business, I expect nothing but the warmest reception from everyone here tonight.”

 

The audience clapped while he welcomed her into the spotlight, some of the men nearby Arthur’s table giving a low whistle as she looked around her with a confident smile.

 

“My name is Violet, I’m looking forward to discuss the future endeavors of my company with you tonight.” She looked towards a man who whistled, smiling dreamily and she gave a quick wink before handing back the mic.

 

_Company?? What’s she up to? When did this happen._

 

As the man took the microphone back, he gave a huge grin to the crowd. His voice droning on as he continued to broach upon other subjects conceding new business deals and other opportunities that proved beneficial to the elite and powerful. His speech ended in applause, blowing a kiss in Violet’s direction as she waved her hand with a bemused expression.

 

The lights soon came back to life as the music picked up and echoed into the hall once more. Butlers filed in lines as they walked around, handing glasses of wine to the wanting guests.

 

“Burmester Reserve, an 1890’s vintage. Interested?” A butler extended his platter, the red liquid sloshing around as he held it in front of Arthur.

 

“Sure,” he accepted, raising an eyebrow at Mary. “Would the lady like some?”

 

“I would love to!”

 

Arthur looked back at Violet’s direction, his heart feeling that all too familiar ache. How he wished he could be the one standing besides Violet, overlooking the men who were now ogling at her as she conversated.

 

She was smiling, her red lips making a multitude of seductive shapes as she continued to chat them up- was it for potential business partners? Or was it something.. more conjugal. Arthur couldn’t bear to think about it, how he would be replaced. But then again, who was he to talk?

 

“Oh, this is just lovely. I can see the dean of Jamie’s college here! Should I speak with him? Oh what would I even say?” Mary sighed, her hand wrapping around Arthur’s forearm. The skin under her hand feeling foreign to him as he looked at Violet mimic the move, but to another man that she was talking to.

 

Slowly, her eyes pierced his through the crowd and he almost felt as if time slowed around them as she looked back to the group that surrounded her to excuse herself. After a couple of disappointed frowns, the men grumbled as Violet made her way to Arthur.

 

“Hello, are you two enjoying the festivities?” She greeted them.

 

“Violet! This party is lovely, I’ve never seen anything like it. I would like to talk to some of these people but I’m afraid I’m a poor conversationalist,” Mary blushed.

 

“Nothing to be scared of, their bark is often worse than their bite,” she reassured her.

 

“What’s this about a company now?” Arthur asked, interrupting their conversation. Violet’s eyes trained on him, her hand reaching behind her for a seat as she arranged her chair to sit in front of the two.  

 

“I was planning on telling you.. but I’ve been left some interesting documents that can be profitable,” Violet leaned forward with her elbows resting on the edge of the velvet table. “I’m here to make friends, lots of them. Then maybe we can _all_ afford a vacation to Tahiti, hmm?”

 

Her eyes gave him a knowing look and he nodded, not willing to discuss gang business in front of Mary and thanked her silently for her discretion.

 

“A business? Are you.. actually owning one?” Mary inquired and Violet felt her false decorum beginning to slip.

 

“Yes, ma’am. Is that so hard to believe?”

 

“Well, no. I meant no offense, just a woman.. a woman being the head of a company might spell trouble-“

 

“Nothing I can’t handle, Mary. It’s time for men to give up their capricious attitudes on how businesses should run,” Violet’s eyes narrowed as she shot Mary a glance. “As it’s becoming almost archaic that women think their place is below a man.”

 

Violet took Arthur’s glass, letting her bottom lip touch the glass slightly as she took a drink. Setting it back down with a satisfied sigh.

 

Bowing her head slightly, she got up, “I’ve only a limited time to make some more friends. Excuse me and I’ll see you back at the hotel tonight, Morgan.”

 

Arthur looked to the champagne glass in front of him, his eyes mesmerized on the stain of red lipstick decorating the rim of the glass.

 

-

 

“Lovely night,” Mary murmured as her eyes fixed onto the night sky overhead. They were walking back, foregoing the carriage back since the distance wasn’t even that huge to begin with. Did the rich and powerful not like using their legs?

 

Arthur looked up as well, observing the lackluster sky that almost seemed dimmer than the ones he looked up in the wilds. A smile was brought to his lips as he remembered Uncle harping on his banjo as Hosea lead the gang to sing the ring-dang-do around the campfire, the stars and sky looking like a bank full of sparkling diamonds.

 

They were walking back to Mary’s hotel, the streets filled with the buzzing of a gaslight flickering to keep its glow. Strangely enough, the city still wasn’t asleep; noises were present almost everywhere along with the familiar sounds of fornication and pleasure that made Mary scowl and Arthur laugh.

 

Arriving at her hotel, they stood under the light with their hands intertwined.

 

“This is it.” Mary bit her lip, tightening her squeeze on Arthur’s calloused hands.

 

“Yes. It is,” he cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders.

 

“Are you okay? You’ve been like this the whole night.”

 

His thoughts ran back to Violet, maintaining eye contact with the men who saw her as easy prey at the party. A smile tugging on his lips when he saw her putting them in their place and demanding their respect in the nicest way, in a way that they wanted to apologize to her profusely. She was brave. She’s been brave this whole time and now.. Arthur needed to be brave.

 

“Mary, I’ve been thinking,” he let go of her hands, looking down at the woman he once loved truly. “It’s been years since we were engaged and I loved you so much. But it’s best if you never see me again, I’ve tried- honest to God- tried changing for you. And that hurt me like hell, I always felt like I was never enough for you. But you always ask me to change, you don’t ever say that you and I could somehow meet in the middle.. so.”

 

He backed away, “You just ain’t the one I’m looking for anymore. Goodbye, Mary.”

 

A tear falling from her left eye with a quiet gasp escaping her lips. She looked down to her left hand, fiddling with the ring that was on her finger. Arthur looked, it was their engagement ring- how had he not noticed?

 

She handed it to him, tears gathering in her eyes.

 

“I understand. Goodbye. Arthur.” She gave his hand one last squeeze before she backed away and entered the hotel- giving him one last sorrowful gaze before shutting the door.

 

Arthur Morgan sighed, a proverbial weight lifting off his shoulders and he swore the air seemed sweeter when breathing it in- he was done. Finally.

 

Taking the ring in his hand, he walked towards the pier across his hotel. Giving it a few tosses in his hand, he held it once more towards the sky and watched as the scratched silver mimicked the shape of the moon in the sky.

 

Tossing it once more, he swung his arm back and flung the ring into the ocean. A small disturbance in the water signaling to him that it was swallowed up by the sea for good. He threw his head back, breathing in the air in his lungs and relishing the freshness that filled him.

 

He was goddamn free.

 

Walking backwards, his eyes watching the waves lap against the wooden poles of the pier as he turned around and headed back to the hotel.

 

Back westward. Back towards Violet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick questions: would anyone be interested in reading a Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy fic? And do you like it when I give the MC a name or do you prefer {name}?


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Strutting into the lobby, Arthur pulled out a couple of dollars from his pocket and slapping it onto the concierge’s desk. The concierge shot him a confused look, right eyebrow raised in question.

 

“For insurance, don’t come upstairs if you know what’s good for you,” Arthur warned him and jogged up the stairs towards Violet’s room. 

 

He knocked a few times and waited for a response. After a few moments, he heard footsteps approach the door and the unlocking of the door as it opened slightly. 

 

“What,” Violet frowned.

 

“Can we talk?” 

 

“No.” 

 

She closed the door and locked it once more and Arthur heard the sound of springs creaking on the bed from inside. 

 

Arthur clenched his fists, pressing his shoulder against the door as he moved his body to align with it. Then, as he inhaled sharply, he slammed his body against the door until he felt the wood creak and give in to his full body weight. After a couple more body slams, the splinters cracked loudly and the sound of a metal chain breaking was heard as he burst into her room with a bewildered Violet frozen in shock on her bed. Her eyes widened in concern and contradicted the almost serene way she was postured. 

 

At last she cleared her throat, “I believe the concierge won’t approve of that.” 

 

“I couldn’t give a damn,” was his response, slamming the door close behind him as he strutted over to her and grabbed her by her waist to pull her up towards him. “We need to talk now, missy. And I ain’t waiting around for your tantrum to subside.” 

 

Her hands pushed at Arthur, scowling as he held her steadfast by her waist. “Why?” 

 

“Because..” He started, pausing as his fingers felt the threads of her black dress. 

 

“Because I love you.” 

 

Violet stopped fighting back, her hands going slack against him as her eyes widened then narrowed in suspicion as she exhaled. “What about Mary?” 

 

“She’s not important, she was once but until I met you- I’ve never been more ensnared by a woman till I met you.” He took her face into his hands and she felt the callouses rub against her face as he looked down at her face. “I love you. I love you so damn much.” 

 

Her silence was loud as she continued to stare back up at him with wide eyes that could mirror the moon. 

 

“Please say something, please,” he murmured, fearing that she wouldn’t say anything back. Fearing that he was too late for her. Fearing that he would lose the love he didn’t think he deserved. 

 

His eyes closed momentarily, shutting tightly as he felt soft lips touch his. Eyes fluttering open, Arthur looked down to see Violet’s face close to his- her lips resting atop his as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him. His hands wrapped around her waist as he lifted her up and hugged her tightly. Their kisses were chaste and short but were soon turned into clashes of passion with a hint of desire and longing. 

 

“I love you too, Arthur Morgan,” came her sweet voice that rang in his ears. His heart felt like it would leap out of his chest any minute, the blood rushed to his ears as he felt what must’ve been redemption that came in the form the lovely woman in front of him. 

 

Violet wrapped her arms around his neck, aiming to deepen the kiss as she nipped at his neck to let her tongue slide in as her fingers toyed with the strands of his sand colored hair. One arm slithered down to grip his arm as he lifted her by hooking his hands around her thighs and laying her gently down on the bed. 

 

Her hair was sprayed everywhere as he looked down at her, licking his lips as her eyes sparkled with that mischievous expression she always had when he was twirled around her finger. The bed sank further as he focused his knee balanced on the edge, kicking off his shoes before crawling on top of her. 

 

“You looked so beautiful tonight,” he whispered, almost breathlessly as Violet licked the side of his neck and biting down when she reached his collar. 

 

“Could say the same about you, cowboy,” she smiled as she bit down on the tender flesh of his neck, eliciting a minor groan from the man on top of her. 

 

His hands felt the edge of her dress as he slid the fabric up, making sure to have her feel the friction as he dragged it up slowly across her upper thigh. Stopping when it was far enough so he could see the outline of her underwear, inhaling the heady scent of her beginning arousal. Taking his middle finger, he slowly traced an oval on the fabric- feeling the heat emanating from her as her arousal grew. 

 

Violet’s hands were gripping onto Arthur, trying her best to control her breathing which became more labored as he flicked the bundle of nerves that nestled between her folds. Stimulating it ever so slowly, the wetness inside of her only pooled more as he teased her incessantly. 

 

“Sto- stop that wi- will you?” She gasped as he suddenly pinched her clit slightly, closing her eyes and throwing her head back against the pillows. 

 

“Arthur?” She breathed. 

 

“That’s for ignoring me,” he chuckled darkly. He moved the fabric away as he entered her with his middle finger, making small circles as he went deeper. 

 

“This is for making me sit with Mary the whole time you were talking to those men,” he continued as he took another finger inside of her, plunging them deep as he felt a c-curve hit the tips of his fingers. 

 

“Wa-wait. I-“ Violet moaned, her eyes shut tightly as she tried to stop his hands from drilling into her but were quickly dispatched as he took her hands and held them fast above her head. His lips found the side of her neck as he licked the spot he knew would make her squirm. His tongue darted out, sucking on the spot and biting down- thinking what color bruise it would be when he was done. All the while his fingers didn’t stop drilling into her as Violet’s breathing became more labored as she felt a numb throb arise from deep inside of her, as she bucked her hips when she felt the beginnings of an orgasm take her. 

 

Arthur looked on as she bit her lip and her face was flushed and as she opened her mouth to moan just as the waves of pleasure were about to take over her- he took his fingers out.

 

Glistening with juices, he smirked as he took them into his mouth- licking off the remnants as his expression darkened with lust at looking at her shocked expression. He had denied her release. 

 

“That’s for taking too long to say ‘I love you’,” his eyes were almost a dark green as he worked on getting his belt off, the metal banging on the wooden floor as he threw it to the side.

 

“I think you’ve been a good girl this far though, I’ll give you a reward for that.” 

 

The bulge was more evident to Violet now as she looked down at it with unbridled desire, licking her upper lip as her chest rose and fall heavily. “You goddamn bastard,” she scoffed as he took his length against her opening, only to tease her clit with his tip- sending electrifying jolts up her lower stomach. 

 

He laughed, “I get that a lot and from less prettier mouths than yours.”

 

Feeling his cock slick with her juices, he slid up against her once more before taking the tip and sliding into her in one go- fully sheathing himself inside of her. 

 

Her mouth opened to let out a hearty moan as he then continued to work at a fast pace, the slickness making it easier for him to slip in and out of her with ease and precision. The sound of skin slapping against skin was loud, but their combined moans and grunts of pleasure were even louder. Violet reached up to wrap her arms around his back, feeling the sweat permeate through his shirt as she gripped to him for dear life. 

 

As she began to feel the dull throb once more, Arthur smiled to himself when he heard her moans becoming more heavy and wanton. It seemed she was close again. Her fingers curled against his clothes, digging her nails down as she began to see stars.

 

“Arth-ur.. I’m going to-“ she bit her lips as she wrapped her legs around his waist, begging him to go deeper. As she felt the ball of pleasure build up inside her once more, she began mumbling his name- a devout prayer on her mouth as she felt it coming but was stopped abruptly as Arthur pulled out with the devilish grin still plastered on his face. 

 

He had denied her once again. 

 

“I’m getting real sick of this,” she hissed. 

 

His only response was that lopsided smile of his as he grabbed her up by her waist and turning her over on her stomach. Using his hands, he hoisted her butt up while pushing her upper torso down. 

 

“Stay,” he ordered her. Violet struggled, greatly irritated she was denied not once- but  _ twice. _

 

“I said.  _ Stay. Down.”  _ Arthur growled, as he positioned himself behind her. “Now, come to daddy.” 

 

Violet looked behind her, seeing Arthur’s hair sticking to his forehead and his face shining with sweat. His hand gripped around his cock as he motioned for her to back up onto it. And so she did.

 

Slowly, she felt the head slide between her cheeks and reached below her to correct herself- feeling the head of his member penetrating her once more. Even at the amount of times they’ve had sex, she couldn’t get enough of the feeling of his thick length grinding inside of her with the wild personality of a rogue horse. She let out a gentle sigh as she wiggled her ass to let his cock enter her slowly. 

 

“‘Atta girl,” he praised her and she felt her face flush with embarrassment. 

 

His hands then gripped her ass cheeks roughly as he slid out of her and slammed back in with full force. This time he wasn’t holding back, whatever restraint he had was flying out of the window as he rutted against her. The feeling of his cock filling her up with every thrust sent Violet into a euphoric trance. Her body shaking with electric pulses that shook her very core. 

 

The previously denials had built up to what would be the most earth shattering orgasm that was beginning inside of her. Her finger went white as she gripped them against the bedsheets, trying to hold herself steady against Arthur’s unbelievable rhythm that moved her body with every thrust he delivered. He was never this rough with her before- but she definitely could get used to it. 

 

Feeling the burning member that penetrated her begin to pulse, she knew his release was coming soon. Whatever frustrations she had was equally posited onto him as well as his nails dug into her as his pace slowed, his dick pulsing as she tightened up- feeling the white hot release fill her up and her own vision almost going white with the overwhelming pressure being released.

 

She collapsed onto the bed, her breathing ragged and Arthur falling down besides her with his arm covering his eyes. 

 

“Shit,” was all he could manage to breath out as he opened his arm to cuddle Violet. 

 

“Shit, indeed,” she laughed, as she nuzzled her head into his neck.

 

Their breathing soon stabilized, the cool night air wafting into the room lead them both into a peaceful slumber- intertwined with each other and a soft smile on both of their lips. 

 

-

 

The concierge rolled his eyes, his ears red with embarrassment as he pocketed the change that Arthur left for him. 

 

He didn’t fail to pick up on the heavy grunts and loving moans that emanated from their rooms. 

 

“I don’t get paid enough for this.” 

 

-

 

The next morning, Violet changed into her riding clothes and made sure her guns were fully loaded for the trip back. Arthur got up and stretched with a loud moan escaping his lips.

 

“That was quite possibly the best sleep I’ve ever got,” he laughed as he got up, walking over to Violet and giving her a light tap on her butt. 

 

“Mornin’, princess. We riding back today?”

 

“Yeah, just making sure everything is ready, your holster is over there,” she smiled at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

 

“Let’s head out then.”

 

They both dressed quickly and grabbed their luggage, giving a thank you to the concierge. Arthur shot him a cheeky wink as the concierge’s face lit up red as he watched the couple exit the hotel.

 

Mounting their horses, they set off to leave New York. The smells of industrialization soon replaced by the smells of the open countryside, much to Arthur’s relief. The silence between them was comfortable, broken occasionally by small talk and clever jokes that made both of them chuckle. When their horses slowed and sometimes walked next to each other, Arthur’s hand rested on hers as they held hands for as long as their horses would let them. 

 

Upon reaching a crossroads,Violet whistled for both of them to stop. 

 

“There’s actually one more thing I need to check out,” she grinned sheepishly. 

 

“Well, where we going?” He asked. 

 

“Ah, I want it to be a surprise,” her smile widened as she handed him an envelope. “This is the address, do you mind delivering it to the gang and having everyone meet up there?”

 

“Everyone? Including yours?” 

 

“Yes, including mine,” Violet’s gaze softened at the mention of her gang.  _ Her _ gang.

 

“Why ain’t you comin’?” 

 

“I just need to make sure everything is perfect when you all arrive! Plus you’re a big boy, I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own,” she teased. 

 

“Alright, you be safe now.. I’ll see you again, right?” Arthur’s face was marred with worry as Violet rode close to him, taking his face in her gloved hand. 

 

“Always, you’ll always see me again,” she kissed him and he closed his eyes, memorizing every detail of her lips as she pulled away.

 

“Don’t be late!” Violet called as she tugged on the reigns of her horse, clicking her tongue loudly as she rode north and away from Arthur. 

 

His heart swelled with longing as she watched her disappearing figure in the distance, putting the envelope in his satchel, he moved his horse towards the west and galloped away. 

 

The sun set across the valley as he rode, the crimson and orange rays of sunshine hitting his body and casting a shadowy silhouette that rode besides him. As he continued, he began mumbling words to a song that Hosea taught him. Keeping a steady pace with his loving horse as the sound of hooves beating against the ground along with the wind rushing against his ears brought him to a trance. 

 

His eyes met with the stretch of woods that began to lead to the isolated valley that Francine’s ranch was hidden in. 

 

As he breathed in the fresh air of the pine woods, he tugged on the reigns and his horse neighed at the unexpected command. 

 

His heart began to seize up, his hand clutching at his chest as he let out a fit of violent coughs that shook his body. His hand scrambled to hang onto his horse, but it proved futile as he lost his balance and fell onto the dirt ground. He turned over as another fit of coughs took over him, his eyes widening in terror as he saw the blood that he spat out onto the ground- its crimson seeping into the brown dirt. 

 

Arthur’s vision was tinged with red, his body felt as if it was filled with hot lead. He struggled to get back on his feet, his hand shaking as his own body seemed to fight against him. His eyes looked up at the sun once more and at that moment, Arthur swore he saw a large buck prance across the fields with the red sun illuminating it’s elegant figure.

 

He soon blacked out, his last thoughts lingering on his woman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s, y’all! Remember that loving yourself is important as loving the person you share your life with~ comments and kudos are greaaattllyy appreciated. Show me some love ☺️


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

_ Would you rather…  _

 

_    Die as the man you are? Or overcome the man you were?  _

 

_ I wish I had acquired wisdom at less of a price.  _

 

_    We’re  _

_             Just  _

_                     Thieves in a world  _

_     That don’t want us no more..  _

 

_ Arthur… you’re a good man.  _

 

_ Arthur... _

__

_           Arthur.. _

_                      ARTHUR!  _

 

“Arthur! Can you hurry up and do something woman?” A hoarse voice cried out, their voice cracking under the strain of emotion.

 

“ _ Merde,  _ will you shut up? Screaming will not help me!” A female voice retorted and Arthur felt his body being reclined down onto a soft surface.

 

“What happened to him? Oh my god, wha-what happened?” The sound of the door slamming open echoed in Arthur’s head and pounded against his ears as more voices crowded in on him. 

 

The skin on his lips broke as he willed himself to move his mouth, the taste of iron penetrated his mouth as his tongue moved around to sample the blood that drenched the insides. 

 

“St….” Arthur coughed and his head began to hurt with everyone shouting over him. 

 

“Will you leave?! So I can get some fucking work done, Marston?” 

 

“Hell no! I ain’t leaving my brother!” 

 

“Stop it..” Arthur choked out, his voice raspy and grating against his throat as if broken glass coated the lining of his esophagus.

 

The screaming ceased and all eyes in the room turned to the sick man lying down. Arthur couldn’t see exactly who was present, his vision was tinged with red as the blurred images of the people in front of him slowly came into focus. 

 

“ _ Monsieur  _ Arthur.. I need you to open your mouth for me,” Francine spoke softly, her hand resting atop of his burning forehead. He obeyed, opening his lips partly and he saw a flash of bright light disappear in his mouth along with a wooden stick that forced his tongue down, then it retreated quickly as Francine took the light away as well as the stick. She backed away, discarding the stick in an open fire before turning to the group gathered in the room. 

 

“Out,” she growled. They obeyed, the severity in her voice telling them more than she ever could

while closing the door behind them softly. 

 

She sighed, walking over to a sink and beginning to vigorously wash her hands. 

 

Arthur balances himself on his elbow, the room around him still hazy as if he were stuck in an eternal red haze.  

 

“Well, doc, how bad is it?” He tried his best to smile, but he was met with a somber glare from the French woman.

 

Taking a seat and scooting it close to him, her dark brown eyes boring into him as the room was filled with palpable tension. 

 

“Tuberculosis.” She stated simply. 

 

If it weren’t for the recliner supporting him, Arthur could've sworn that he would’ve fell down then and there. The world began to spin faster around him, the red growing into a more crimson hue, his breaths becoming more shallow as he realized that every breath he took was one that might be his last- his sickness being exhaled with every breath he took. 

 

“No- no that can’t be.. there’s no cure? Nothing?” He whispered, fear beginning to strike at his cold heart and thoughts of his woman circling his mind. 

“... Does that mean I gave it to Violet too?” 

 

Francine’s eyes narrowed, “If your relationship lasted as long as I assumed it has, then she would’ve displayed your symptoms as well. If she is not.. there’s nothing to worry about. You would do well to minimize contact with her for her safety.” 

 

She got up, her hand resting on the back of her neck with the other hand on her hip as she looked over the countless vials and flasks that she had on her desk. She began to whisper to herself in French, looking back and forth at the alchemical ingredients at her disposal. 

 

The door opened once more and Alice’s pale face peeked in, her dark eyes honing in on Arthur. 

 

“You’re awake,” she gave him a small smile, closing the door behind her as she joined Francine. “When I found you, you were near death.. by the way, you are a very heavy man.” 

 

“I-what?” 

 

“I found you on the side of the road, your loyal horse was still besides you. Lucky for me, all I had to do was load you up on the horse before hauling you back here,” she tilted her head, her face unmoving as she placed the back of her hand on his forehead. Arthur shivered at her touch, it was as if she were a statue of ice. 

 

Turning back towards Francine, Alice placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear. At her words, Francine’s eyes widened and she failed to keep her shock in. 

 

“You’re mad!”

 

“What more does he have to lose? Violet would be heartbroken at losing him so soon, would she not? Best take our chances before it slips out of our grasp,” Alice muttered, taking a flask and shaking it lightly. “Either way, we all die. But I assume this man wants to live, longer at least.” 

 

“I do, I want to see her again,” he choked out. 

 

Francine’s eyebrows were stuck in a fixed frown, sighing as she began to help Alice. Taking a bottle of whiskey, she poured its contents onto a scalpel and shook it dry. Walking over to Arthur, she held the scalpel up and motioned for him to hold out his arm. 

 

“This will hurt and I’m not sure of the success rate.. but if it does work, it’ll increase your chances of living, at least a little while longer,” she spoke to him calmly as she wiped down the area where she was going to make an incision. 

 

Alice kneeled down on his other side, taking a vial of a viscous deep aubergine color while placing her fingers under his chin to tilt his head backwards. “Drink.” 

 

Arthur shut his eyes tight as he let the foul smelling liquid pour into his mouth, he tasted the thickness of it and some chunks laid still on his tongue as he forced himself to swallow it all. 

 

“Shit,” he cursed as felt the remnants slide slowly down his throat while Francine made a small cut along his vein and spreading a paste along the cut. He jerked a little when it stung him and he hissed as Francine quickly pressed it in the wound, then wiped it away with an alcohol soaked rag. 

 

Wrapping his wound in a bandage, the two women got up and cleaned up their work station. Alice spread a blanket over Arthur and ruffled his hair as she whispered to him. 

 

“You will get your happy ending as well, Arthur Morgan.” 

 

He wanted to respond to the woman, her eyes seemed to glow under the moonlight that filtered into the room and his own eyelids slowly felt heavy as he felt his eyelashes brush against his upper cheeks before he fell into a deep sleep.

 

-

 

John Marston was found constantly pacing around the outside of Francine’s lab. Every time she would exit, she would be bombarded with questions concerning Arthur’s health to which she rolled her eyes and shooed him away. 

 

He would go hunting with Charles and would come back unsuccessful as he couldn’t focus on the deer in front of him when he was wrought with worry. 

 

“Arthur’s strong. He’ll live through this and make fun of how you were acting, y’know,” Charles said to him. 

 

“I wouldn’t mind, as long as he’s up and at ‘em,” John would reply. 

 

The day would pass and Alice would come out of her cabin with another vial of strange liquid, the color becoming progressively black as more time passed but she would still make Arthur drink it nonetheless. 

 

Francine would come in to check on Arthur, once smacking a cigarette out of his hand when he tried to light it while he laid down. 

 

“What the hell was that for?” Arthur would cry out as she brought her boot down to stomp out the embers.

 

“I have a theory that the smoke in cigarettes can slowly kill a man,” she would argue back, taking the discarded cigarette and throwing it into a waste bin. “Ever wonder why people who are pulled from fires often die from choking and not burns?” 

 

He grumbled as he leaned back and Francine stood above him with hands on her hips, “If not for your health, then at least for Violet.” 

 

He then made a hasty decision to discard every tobacco product he owned that day. 

 

-

 

The following week was torture for him, consisting of that vile liquid that Alice insisted on him drinking and with Francine nagging him to eat more of the vegetable stew that she brewed with bitter roots. He wanted to get up and run out some days and he would have too, if it weren’t for Esmerelda constantly watching over the door like a guard dog that was ready to tie him up to his bed if “he didn’t sit down and rest up like a good boy.” 

 

Calling Esmerelda into his room, he handed her a letter with Violet’s handwriting adorned on the back. 

 

“She said to give it to you and to make sure to bring everyone,” Arthur mumbled, his mouth feeling numb at the amount of roots he ingested.

 

Esmerelda took a seat at the foot of his bed as she opened up the letter and began to read, her mouth mimicking the words on the paper but moving much too fast for Arthur to decipher any of it. 

 

Once she was done, she held the paper to her heart and her strikingly green eyes shone with newfound joy. She looked towards Arthur with a big smile, “Do you feel better? Or will you feel better anytime soon?” 

 

“Er, I reckon I’ll be fine today or tomorrow-“ 

 

“Perfect! I’ll let everyone know to pack up!” She exclaimed as she hopped off the bed and marched out the door, leaving Arthur behind with a confused frown.  

 

As Esmerelda’s black hair disappeared around the corner; Tilly, Karen, and Mary-Beth poked their heads in and looked towards Arthur with sympathetic expressions. 

 

“Can we come in?” Mary-Beth spoke softly and Arthur motioned with his hand to beckon the girls. 

 

Tilly and Mary-Beth sat next to each other, sinking the bed with their combined weights as they faced towards Arthur. Karen dragged a chair behind her and sat next to him, a comforting hand placed on his arm. 

 

“We know that you were sick, Arthur. We just wanted to check on you,” Tilly started, her chocolate eyes twinkling with sadness. 

 

“I’ll be alright, Tilly. This ain’t nothin’.” 

 

“Well.. how’s Violet? You came back without her-is she okay?” Mary-Beth asked. 

 

“She’s fine, she went to go handle some business after some higher-ups went and gave her some papers that her mother left behind. Not too sure about any of it, I just know that I trust her,” he told the girls. Looking towards Karen, he laughed, “I saw Mary there too. It was like a sign from god that I needed to choose already.”

 

The girls gasped silently, prodding him to tell him what happened and so he did- omitting the details of the last night he spent with Violet. 

 

“You threw away the ring?! Oh Arthur, you coulda at least sold it!” Tilly scolded him as she pushed his arm playfully. 

 

“Ah it was a spur of the moment thing, that damn thing was cheap anyways. Only bought it when I didn’t have the audacity to rob folks in broad daylight.” 

 

“Still, you could’ve used it to buy something better for your new lady,” Karen winked at him and Tilly placed a hand over her chest with her face contorted to false shock.

 

“Hush now, Karen. That’s his own business, unless you want us to tell him how you sneak in Bonnie’s room late at nigh-“ 

 

A pillow went flying and landed on Tilly’s dainty face and she giggled as Karen’s freckles face turned a shade of light pink. 

 

“Bonnie, eh? She’s a good woman, good for ya Karen,” Arthur gently took the next pillow out of the blonde woman’s hands and gave her a knowing smile. “If y’all don’t mind, I’m gonna get some more shut eye.” 

 

“Of course.” They nodded and exited the room, leaving Arthur contemplating their conversation. 

 

_ Still, you could’ve used it to buy something better for your new lady.  _

 

Arthur pulled the sheets over his chest, leaning back into the pillows and looking up at the wooden ceiling overhead. He allowed himself to daydream of what possibilities were in store for him. 

 

“Miss Violet Morgan.. heh,” he smiled as he closed his eyes to rest. 

 

-

 

Esmerelda placed her pistols into her holster, looking behind her at the caravan that was following behind her in a single file line- save for Javier and John who rode along the sides to serve as protection. 

 

She looked towards the map held in her hands and the small compass in her hand, leading the band behind her towards a new home and possible new future. The contents of Violet’s letter told little and obscured the whole truth, but from what Esmerelda could surmise lead to the belief that this was the final gift that Irene had told her about years ago. 

 

It was made evident that the location was much further north of New York than she had anticipated, looking behind her shoulder constantly to check in on the caravan. Hours passed and the forested countryside soon turned more and more colonized with more buildings towering over them along with states from passerby’s who looked onto their group. 

 

“Hey, why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Javier called out to the elderly gentleman that was gawking at him rather openly. 

 

“Javier! Behave!” Esmerelda clicked her tongue and Javier shot her a cheeky grin while winking at her. 

 

“ _ Lo siento.”  _

 

The rest of the ride was rather docile, save for some highwaymen and haughty city folk that were quickly taken care of before the situation escalated any further. Sometimes the girls broke out into song and the whole group would sing along even if the words weren’t known to them. No one spoke but everyone knew that their luck had changed for the better within the past few weeks and each gang member counted their lucky stars. 

 

-

 

Arthur sat next to Charles as they approached a hill that had a breathtaking view of the expansive city that was New York. A large cobblestone road led them up all the way to the large red-brick mansion that rested atop it’s peak. The grounds filled with lush green hedges that twisted and winded around itself to form a large maze, the opening leading to the cliff side view of the city. And just past the city was the mass of blue water that formed the Atlantic. It was picturesque, almost like it was drawn up from a fairy-tale. 

 

There were guest houses to the side along with a large stable car behind the mansion. Multiple windows were framed with white open shutters and parts of the tiled roof spiraled upwards like a castle tower. Arthur craned his neck to spot people with suits prowling the front lawn, conversing with other workers on the condition of the house. 

 

“Uhh, we in the right place?” Arthur asked, his neck hurting from looking up at the height of the building. 

 

“I don’t think Violet’s the type of woman to write down the wrong directions,” Charles told his friend with a small smile. 

 

As soon as their caravan was in sight of the two guards posted at the front, they motioned for the gates to open and ushered them in. 

 

“She’s been waitin’. Esmerelda, right?”

 

Esmerelda responded with a nod and a tip of her hat.  

 

“Come on in then, you can park everything in front of the stables.” 

 

They followed suit as they all gazed at the elaborate gardens planted at the front and the large stone stairs that encircled the stone plaza and led up to the polished front door of the mansion. It was definitely a place that Arthur would normally feel out of place, but as soon as the two front doors opened to reveal Violet. She was wearing a tailored suit jacket over her riding pants and her hair was up in a low bun that bounced as she descended the round stairwell down onto the stone plaza. 

 

Arthur hopped off of his seat in the carriage, handing over the reigns to Charles and running to Violet as she hopped up into his arms. 

 

“I was worried,” she whispered, taking ahold of his lapel and stood on her tiptoes to place a tender kiss on his jaw. 

 

“Everything’s fine, darling,” he tucked in a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head.  

 

“Shall I give the grand tour? You’ll never guess just how much room this house has!” Violet tugged on his arm and waved her arm towards the looming mansion behind her. 

 

“This is what my mother left, her last gift. Neat isn’t it?” 

 

“Heh, I would say it’s more than just a little neat. It’s like a goddamn castle!” Arthur laughed as he walked besides Violet towards the front. 

 

“Shouldn’t we wait for the others before heading in?” 

 

“Nah, I’m sure they’d understand if I want a little alone time with my lady,” he purred. “Come on, show me where you and I are gonna sleep at.” 

 

Violet gave him a playful shove, “You are horrible! Well come on then, hold my hand so you don’t get lost in here.” 

 

They intertwined their fingers and made their way into the mansion, the dusty chandelier hanging overhead being the first thing catching Arthur’s gaze. 

 

“I haven’t had much time to get everything cleaned, only had a few days to get some help hired as well as working on some parts of the house. But this-“ she spoke as she let go of his hand to give a small twirl in the middle of the quartz floor, “- this can be our new home. Yours and I… if you’d stay with me.” 

 

A small flush of pink appeared on her cheeks and Arthur took her hand, bringing it to his lips while looking into her eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

 

“Come on then, let me show you around already!”

 

-

 

Just as Violet had showed her- well,  _ their  _ room. Arthur whistled at the large bed with red velvet drapes hanging over the headboard that was fastened with thick twists of gold colored rope. The bed itself could fit two people and still had space to spare and looked as soft and inviting as any lavish hotel he had stayed in. The tall windows gave room to the sunlight that lit up the room and its contents; a round table sat in the middle of the room with two chairs, a large wardrobe and vanity decorated the side of the room with the door leading to the washroom. It was spacey and perfect for a man and woman who wanted their privacy. 

 

Arthur’s hand was wrapped around Violet’s waist as she showed him where he could keep his beloved guns, a nifty hidden shelf that was conveniently placed on his nightstand table if the need arose. 

 

Their tour was cut short as Esmerelda leaned on the doorframe, knocking as she waited for the couple to acknowledge her presence. She cleared her throat as they turned around and her gaze held Arthur’s. 

 

“A moment, Morgan?” She asked with her lips tightly wound. 

 

Arthur squeezed Violet’s hand before he followed her down the hallway. 

 

“What is it?” He asked, rather loudly. 

 

Esmerelda placed a finger on her lips, ushering him to lower his voice before speaking. “Your sickness. Are you going to tell Violet or shall I?” 

 

He was silent, looking down at the polished tile floor. The weight of his impending doom weighing heavily on his shoulders as he imagines Violet’s face wrought with fear and heartbreak. 

 

“I will… just- just let me handle it on my own terms.” 

 

“Are you trying to destroy her? You’ll make it worse by hiding the truth from her.”

 

“No,” he growled, his voice beginning to rise. “She ain’t a little girl and you need to stop babying her. I love her and I’m dedicating the rest of my life to make this work, you have my word.” 

 

Esmerelda exhaled sharply, holding Arthur’s hazel glare with her own green eyes for a handful of moments.

 

“Alright then, good luck to you Morgan,” she waved at him as she backed away. “By the way, Francine said it’s type for another checkup.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I usually don’t take this long for a chapter. My apologies! I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been caught up in FFXV hell the past couple of days also school and the prospect of a new job. Also what fandoms are you guys in? It gives me ideas for new fics && as always, kudos and comments are always appreciated and lets your dear author that you like their stuff!


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

“Ride with me, John.”

 

John looked up from the piece of whittled wood in his hands that looked like a horse that was born with an unfortunate lack of strong front legs.

 

“Where we goin’? Ain’t you supposed to be in bed?”

 

Arthur groaned, kicking him gently at his boot and urged him to get up.

 

“Hopefully you ride better than you whittle, hurry up Marston,” he said to him as they walked towards the stables. “I’ll tell you why in a minute, let’s just get out of here.”

 

Arthur saddled up on his horse and John followed suit. The large iron gates opening as they urged their horses to gallop out into the road.

 

“You sure you can be riding around like this?” John asked, keeping pace with Arthur.

 

“Francine’s been checking up on me these past days, she said as long as I don’t do anything that’s too overbearing- it won’t get as bad.”

 

“Hmm, makes sense. Makes me glad we have a doctor around. Wonder what would happen if we never met that other gang?”

 

“I rather not think of it, something tells me it wouldn’t be as good as what we have now,” Arthur hummed, eyeing John.

 

“Where are we headed by the way? You never told me!”

 

“New York, there’s something there I need to buy,” he answered him. “If anyone else asks, we just went out for a ride- reminiscing over the old times or something.”

 

-

 

Violet made sure everyone was situated in their own area of the house, establishing house rules and warning them to not do anything stupid enough to attract attention. Her cold gaze was enough of a warning, especially to the men of the group who silently nodded- afraid of her ire as well as Arthur’s.

 

The days consisted of her doing paperwork that she has yet to divulge the information to and sending telegrams to multiple locations. Constantly checking in that everyone’s needs were attended to, granted that they were within reason.

 

Violet paced in front of the dining hall windows with one of the open telegrams in hand, reading the letter in quiet utterances until her finger traced the last sentence. Holding it to her chest and letting out a breath as she turned towards Hosea and Dutch who sat at the oak table with a steaming cup of tea before them.

 

“It seems that there are negotiations in order for paying off the Pinkertons to avoid this area, you and the rest of the gang should be relatively unbothered,” she set the paper down and slid it towards the duo. “Granted you keep your men under control, I’ve enough influence to try and pay them off permanently.. but that’ll take time.”

 

“You sure this is necessary? We don’t have to stay, give us a couple of weeks and we’ll be out of here,” Hosea leaned back in his chair, intertwining his fingers in front of him.

 

“Nonsense, it’s my way of saying thank you. Besides, I’m sure my mother would have wanted you to stay.”

 

“Well.. I truly don’t know what to say. Irene always looked out for me and I suppose she still does it beyond the grave,” Dutch fiddled with his moustache, gazing at the distant fields outside of the window. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re most welcome, gentlemen. Also.. there’s the business of Bronte and my father back in Saint Denis..” Violet knit her brows together as she started pacing once more.

 

“Mother left some very interesting documents along with everything else. I’m sure she means for me to use it to blackmail him for insurance.”

 

“And will you?” Hosea asked.

 

Violet stopped to turn at the old man with a small smile playing on her lips, “I’ve an idea. I can use this for more than ensuring his silence. Interested in knowing?”

 

The two leaned in, serious expressions on their face as Violet took a seat across from them and Violet began telling them of the plan she had in mind.

 

As Violet finished telling them, Dutch erupted into laughter.

 

“You are a devious woman, Violet Steele.”

 

-

 

John stuffed a tiny box into his satchel, adjusting the worn fabric of his jeans as he jogged to keep up with Arthur.

 

“This place is a nightmare, people’re staring at me like I have a second head,” John grumbled, adjusting his hat to further cover his eyes as he strolled alongside his friend.

 

“You get used to it,” he mused as he bit down on his lower lip to let out a piercing whistle. From the corner of a building, his horses head peaked out as it trotted towards its owner.

 

John mimicked his actions, calling for his steed and hopping up when it appeared.

 

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you ‘bout. Just never got a chance to,” Arthur said.

 

“About?”

 

“If I don’t live, if I don’t make it-“

 

“Stop talking crap. You will live, you _will_ make it,” John scolded him, his voice growing deeper as he frowned.

 

“Shut up and listen, we all gotta die someday. I don’t know how this sickness will affect me, but I want you to promise me something.”

 

The black haired man was silent for a moment, pondering on Arthur’s words when he finally replied, “Alright, what is it?”

 

“I want you to take care of Abigail and Jack. Make sure their needs come first before the rest of the gang. I know, before you say it, I know about loyalty and whatnot.. but, I think I’ve realized that sometimes loyalty to yourself is what matters most. We’ve been following Dutch for what feels like a lifetime and what we have is better than what we deserve, if he decides to screw any of this up for us- I want you to take Jack and Abigail and run like hell.”

 

“Of course, but what about you?” He asked.

 

“I’m going to stay by Violet’s side for as long as I can and I know she’d do the same, she’s a good woman. Too good for the likes of me.”

 

“Yeah, your mug’s too ugly for the pretty lady,” John quipped, laughing when Arthur scowled.

 

“Shut yer mouth, scar face. Should’ve just left you to the wolves, Marston.”

 

The scowl on his face slowly turned into a smile as they both looked at each other and laughed.

 

“Come on, let’s make tracks.”

 

Gripping the reigns, Arthur gently pressed his spurs into the sides of his horse as it began to transition to a hasty gallop.

 

-

 

“I was thinking of adding a dash of blue on the curtains, add a bit of serenity in the room. What do you think, Violet?” Francine hummed as her fingers slid down the page of the catalogue in her hand, her bespectacled eyes turned towards Violet.

 

“It’s your room, Francine. It’s only right that you decide for yourself.”

 

“I cannot, there is _far_ too many options! It drives me insane that Alice already has her room draped in black, can you believe it?”

 

Violet stifled a laugh, raising her brows at the raving woman. Her woman was stationed near the front of the house, overlooking the lush green lawns below as well as the large iron gate that protected the premises. Her room had all sorts of beakers and vials laying about with books scattered on the floor that were yet to be organized.

 

Her fingers had felt the worn leather of the book as she slid her hand down it’s fragile spine. Eyes looking out the window and towards the gate as Francine’s voice faded out in the background, blocking out everything as she saw the gates open and Arthur trailed in with John following behind.

 

“Violet,” Francine walked towards her with hands planted firmly on her hips, “Are you listening- ah.”

 

She reached up to push her glasses as she saw Arthur then glanced down to look at Violet’s sheepish grin.

 

“Sorry, Francine, I’ll help you out after I promise!” She said as she swiftly exited the room, walking with haste towards the entrance.

 

As she slid to a halt on top of the stairs, the doors opened and Arthur looked up at Violet’s grinning face. She bit her lip and bounced down the stairs as she hopped up into his arms, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

 

“You smell like the fields, were you out riding all day?” She inquired.

 

“I was, indeed. I actually wanted to-“

 

“Well hellooo, Violet!” John greeted her with a grin and slipping his arm around her shoulder to give her a half hug.

 

“John Marston, you two weren’t up to any mischief hmm?” She returned his hug.

 

“Who? Us? Never.” He winked and clapped Arthur on the back as he jogged up the stairs and down the hallway.

 

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, my lady,” Arthur held Violet by her waist as he swiveled her around to walk back outside.

 

“Oh? Is that why you left me alone all day?” She pouted and he chuckled at her childish expression.

 

He led her to the large garden gazebo overlooking the roads to New York and the ocean beyond. Taking both of her hands in his as he lifted them up to his lips and placed a tender kiss on them while his hazel eyes looked at her with sheer devotion.

 

“There was a reason why I was late, I wouldn’t have kept you waiting otherwise,” he started, gathering his breath. “I’m… I’m sick, Violet.”

 

As his words left his lips, her eyes widened and her mouth opened as if to say something but soon shut as her bottom lip began to quiver.

 

“Come again?” She whispered.

 

“I’ve got tuberculosis. Francine and Alice has been treating me, but they’re both not sure how long I have.”

 

Violet tried to pull away as he pulled her back against him, holding her head on his shoulder as tears began to stain his shirt. A piece of her heart feeling like it was swallowed up by ocean.

 

“This isn’t fucking fair.”

 

She choked as the tears began to darken the color of his blue shirt, Arthur held her head as he stroked her hair- giving small kisses along her hairline as her hold on him grew tighter, as if he would disappear at that moment.

 

Finally she pulled away and he allowed her to step back, bringing her ring and middle finger up to wipe the remainder of her tears. “Ha-has their treatments been working?”

 

“Well. I feel slightly better. Francine has been strict with my diet, Alice has been feeding me some weird shit but.. they’re both doing their best,” he gave her a sympathetic smile. “They just told me to not overdo anything, extreme conditions can make it worse.”

 

Violet snuffed, nodding her head, “Well, I can go and see about any further treatments. I can arrange for-“

 

“Wait, before you go and start any work.. let me tell you something else,” his hand grazing her cheek as her head leaned into it. He pushed her gently backwards, smiling as confusion replaced her somber expression.

 

He took a step back, taking out a small black velvet box and knelt down on one knee on the white quartz tile beneath him. Opening the box to reveal a silver band with a circle cut diamond resting upon a flourish of smaller gems surrounding the centerpiece.

 

“Violet Steele, never in my life have I met a woman as loving and amazing and strong as you. You’ve shown me what I can be and everyday with you is a slice of the best that heaven can possibly offer.. I don’t know how my sickness will affect my life- but if anything, my wish is to spend the rest of it with you.. if you’ll have me.”

Tears began to drip down her face once more, her mouth covered with one hand as sniffles escaped her. She could only nod, her eyes sparkled beneath her saline tears and quiet hiccups.

 

“Ah.. so.. is that a ye-“

 

“YES!” She cried out as she fell to her knees and embraced him. “Yes yes yes, of course I want you!”

 

Arthur’s heart swelled with happiness, his dark memories being lighted as it gave him the promise of a new journey with the love of his life. He couldn’t help but have a huge grin as he took her left hand and slipped on the ring.

 

“And don’t worry, I bought it fair and square. No funny business.”

 

And so there they were, both kneeling on the gazebo floor with happy tears running down their face and their foreheads touching as they held each other. They might’ve looked stupid to anyone else, but neither of them could care less.

 

-

 

“Sir. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

 

“Excuse me? This is _my-“_

 

“I’m afraid not, this institution and the remainder of your business belongs to Violet Steele. Failure to comply will lead to numerous consequences.”

 

“ _Violet Steele?!_ That’s my daughter,” the man hissed. “I demand to be let in at once or else I’ll have Angelo Bronte heat about this!”

 

The guard shifted his hat, peering down at the man before him. “Ah. So _you’re_ her father. Well I’m going to have to ask you to come with us.”

 

“Wha-“ the man struggled as the armed guard grabbed him by the back of his neck and lead him inside.

 

“Bronte will hear about this!” The father screamed.

 

“Don’t worry, he’ll be there with you.”

 

The guard led him down the basement, opening an iron door as it revealed Angelo with a cloth gagging him and blood running from the wound on his brow. Violet’s father’s blood ran cold, seeing his partner in crimes face covered in his own blood in the basement of what used to be his office. Had he been more observant, he would’ve seen the construction crew take down the house name of Fleurille and had it replaced with Steele.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are always appreciated :) hope y’all are having a lovely day/evening~


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hosea’s worn hands tied the blue silken bow tie around Arthur’s lapel, as he backed away he gave his adoptive son a loving smile that made his eyes crinkle at the edges. 

 

“You’ve come so far, Arthur,” he said. Arthur nodded, knowing how the old man felt without him even saying anything. 

 

Behind Hosea, Dutch approached him and tucked in a white carnation in the front pocket of his suit. The curled tips of his moustache moved as he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. 

Arthur was stunned at this, it was so rare to see the man who could speak his way out of deadly situations to be so speechless.

 

“Thank you, son.”  Was all he managed to say, his eyes growing slightly blurry as small tears clouded them.

 

Arthur nodded, taking Dutch into an embrace as the two men stood in silence- but the nonverbal actions was enough to communicate the love that both of them had for each other and for this gang. 

 

“You ready? Don’t wanna keep the lovely bride waiting.” 

 

-

 

Arthur stood at the gazebo, shuffling his feet as he clasped his hands together behind him and looked to his left. John, Hosea, and Dutch stood besides him wearing their best suits available. Flowers of varying colors were tucked into their coat pocket and decorated the edges of the red carpet that extended from the gazebo towards the front of the garden that the two gangs sat in. 

 

He stood in a shaded area, but he still felt cold sweat gather up on his neck. Across from him stood Bonnie, dressed in black slacks and a flowy white shirt- her wild red hair was combed back and styled into a simple braid with flowers intertwined into the curly locks. She shot him a sympathetic smile, her soft eyes sending him waves of reassurance. 

 

The crowd gathered was small, just the remainders of what was left of the two gangs- but that was enough. Swanson had his hair groomed and his suit was not in its usual disheveled state, he carried a bible with him as he tapped a finger against its worn leather spine. The reverend had agreed to officiating the wedding, agreeing to lead their union as it was seemingly a new chapter in his life- one free of opium addiction. 

 

Arthur turned his gaze towards the horizon, trying to find comfort in the large fluffy clouds that floated hazily across the sky. He began to construct shapes in his kind from the clouds until he heard a couple of people murmuring behind him.

 

Turning around, his hazel eyes widened at the image of his woman in all white- her dress flowing behind her and embroidered with lovely golden details. Her face veiled but could not hide her eyes and the love she had in them for him. Esmerelda walked next to her, holding her arm as they both made their way down the aisle. Javier sat on the sides, playing a slow tune on his guitar as his sultry voice sang and echoed in the courtyard.

 

_ Besame, _ __  
_ Besame mucho _ __  
_ Como si fuera ésta noche _ _  
_ __ La última vez

 

“This is my second time in a wedding dress..” Violet whispered to Esmerelda. “But this time I feel much more nervous.” 

 

“ _ Mí amor,  _ you’ll be fine. Look at your man, look at how happy he looks.” 

 

Violet looked up from the red carpet to see.

 

_ Besame, besame mucho _ __  
_ Que tengo miedo a perderte _ __  
_ Perderte después _ __  
  


“Oh..” she exhaled softly. 

 

Arthur’s nose began to twitch as he sniffed and looked to the side to wipe something from his eye. When he turned back to face her, his hazel gaze was gleaming with the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes.

 

John put a comforting hand on his shoulder and whispered something to him as Arthur nodded and formed a silly grin as he kept trying to wipe at his eyes. 

 

Violet clenched the bouquet of small wildflowers that Jack has picked for her, siphoning her strength from them as she walked tall towards her future. 

 

_ Quiero tenerte muy cerca _ __  
_ Mirarme en tus ojos _ __  
_ Verte junto a mi _ __  
_ Piensa que tal vez mañana _ __  
_ Yo ya estaré lejos, _ _  
_ __ Muy lejos de ti

 

Esmerelda stopped just as she hit the stairs leading into the encircled gazebo, taking the moment to whisper a couple of words into Violet’s ears. 

 

“Your mother isn’t here, but trust me, she would be so proud of you.” 

 

Violet bit on her bottom lip to keep them from trembling. “Thank you, Esmerelda.”

 

They both continued to walk.

 

“If it means anything,” she whispered to her caretaker. “I always saw you as my mother too.” 

 

Now it was Esmerelda’s turn to bite her lips, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. 

 

_ Besame, _ __  
_ Besame mucho _ __  
_ Como si fuera ésta noche _ __  
_ La última vez _ __  
  


Violet let go of her hands and took her place to stand in front of Arthur. Turning to hand the bouquet to Bonnie, Violet took Arthur’s hands in her own and squeezed his tear stained hands.

 

Reverend Swanson opened to a page in his book and began his sermon. 

 

“I believe that no one here is truly a believer of religion or has denied themselves the grace of god. But I think it’s the love and fate that brought us to this momentous occasion today.. we should all be honored we’re still standing here today, in light of  _ all _ of our past actions. Now I know we’re not all truly a follower of tradition so I’ll keep this short..” 

 

Swanson motioned for Jack to come forward from his seat on Abigail’s lap. The little boy hopped up, holding a small pillow with two golden bands on them. One of thicker width and plain gold, the other with a thinner width and a small diamond resting on it.

 

He extended the pillow towards the couple before the altar and they both took their rings; Violet taking his and Arthur taking hers. 

 

“Violet, would you like to start?” 

 

She nodded and gripping  the gold band in between her thumb and forefinger. “You already know how I feel, I’ve made it clear as day since the first day I met you in Saint Denis. It was chance that we met at that party and even after all of our trials and tribulations, I don’t regret any of it especially if it leads me to be here with you.” 

 

Violet smiled as she slid the ring around his finger and watched as he flexed his hand, nodding that the ring fit comfortably on him.

 

“Arthur?” 

 

He looked deep into her eyes. “Erm.. I ain’t really great with words but I’ll try. Ever since I met you, not a day would pass that I wouldn’t dream of being with you forever. You show me how to be a better man everyday and you’ve given me what I thought was impossible, this union with you is more than what I could ever deserve. But if I get to wake up everyday and call you my wife, then I must be doing something right.” 

 

Taking her hand, he slipped on the gold band and brought the ring to his lips for a kiss.

 

“Well, I’m assuming there’ll be no objections to this union- I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

 

Arthur lifted the veil over her head and Violet smiled up at him as he took her face in his hands to lean in for a kiss. He felt the soft plushness of Violet’s lips as they both closed their eyes and relished in their unifying kiss. Everything they went through, every problem they’ve encountered seemed to lead them up to this moment.

 

Applause erupted in the courtyard as they both opened their eyes and looked to their family around them. 

 

“Is this the part where we bring out the drinks?” John nudged Arthur. 

 

“Aye, it’s my favorite part of weddings- the afterparty,” Bonnie smirked, warning a glare from Esmerelda. 

 

“As for me, I want some alone time with my husband,” Violet smirked, giving Arthur a kiss on the nose.

 

“Come onnn, let’s celebrate! This mansion is the perfect place to throw a party!” Javier exclaimed, a mischievous grin playing at his lips. 

 

“-as long as you don’t break anything,” Francine frowned.

 

“It’s up to you,  _ husband, _ ” Violet looked at him.

 

“Well.. a couple ‘o drinks can’t hurt, can it?” Arthur said before leaning into Violet’s ear to whisper. “Then I’ll have you all to myself tonight.” 

 

“It’s settled then,” John grinned.

 

The group moved from the garden and into the mansion, chatting amongst themselves as they fetched the stash of moonshine from the kitchens. Wine was served for those who didn’t want to pass out on the floor from the sheer power of moonshine. There was music from the off-key singing of the men and the shrill joyful shrieks from the ladies. 

 

Drinks were offered to reluctant servants who weren’t used to this type of camaraderie, but they took a drink gratefully when Violet assured them that they can celebrate too.

 

As usual, Hosea was standing up to tell a grand story of one of his escapades. The old man never seemed to run out of stories even after a couple of drinks made him slur his words and laugh uncontrollably. Kieran was squished between Charles and Lenny as they both sang off key to Uncle strumming on the banjo. You could tell that none of them truly belonged in a setting such as the mansion they were in right now, but one thing that was unmistakable was that everyone in the room was inexplicably drunk. 

 

“Speeeech! Give us a speech, Vi!” John took Violet by her hand and helped her up onto the oak table that he pushed in front of the room.

 

“Ooh,” Violet mumbled as she found her steps harder to stabilize while she was under the influence. “Oo-Kay. Well.” 

 

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, “Thanks for coming out everyone, well, I just need to say that you all are my family now- so if you need a home, you can have one here.” Violet raised her drink to the crowd and tipped it back into her mouth.

 

Cheers and toasts were raised as they clapped, John extended his arms once more and caught Violet as she jumped down. 

 

A hand slithered across her waist and a husky whisper breathed in her ear, “You ready for our ‘honeymoon’, missy?” 

 

Violet didn’t need to look back to see who it was, the familiar grip of his hand on her waist and the deep baritone was enough to send shivers down her spine despite the heat of the alcohol.

 

Biting her lip, she nodded and the hand pushed her forward towards the stairs.

 

Bonnie looked towards the newlyweds with a smirk and shook her head before drinking from her teacup. 

 

“You ain’t gonna drink?” Karen walked towards her. 

 

“Not tonight, what about you, darlin’?” Bonnie asked. 

 

The blonde woman blushed and shook her head, “Drinking.. it ain’t my thing anymore.” 

 

“So then, what is your thing?” The Irish woman grinned, leaning against the pillar with her eyes trained on Karen’s plump face. 

 

“Oh shut up, you already know how I feel ‘bout you, silly,” she murmured. 

 

“Come here lass, we can sneak out into the garden like some shitty romance novel.” 

 

Karen simply smiled and took the other woman’s hand. 

 

-

 

Violet couldn’t help but giggle as Arthur lifted her up by her waist, her back colliding on the door of their bedroom. His hands held her steadfast by her thighs as he ran his tongue across her neck and up towards her ear. 

 

“What if someone sees?” She hissed.

 

“I don’t care if the President of the United States sees, you’re my woman now,” he responded in a low growl. 

 

This made Violet shut up almost immediately, feeling a tingle between her legs as Arthur ripped at the white stockings that covered her legs. The sound of fabric ripping hid the sound of the door opening behind them. Arthur held her steadfast as they both stumbled in, kicking the door shut behind him as he worked to lift the dress off of her. 

 

“I want to see,” he huffed as he tossed the dress behind him, “you wear nothing but your wedding ring tonight.” 

 

Violet blushed as she helped him tamed her veil off before turning her attention to him as she unbuttoned his shirt, getting frustrated at the last few buttons before deciding to rip it off completely. She gave him a low whistle as she looked at his nude body. 

 

“Could say the same for you, sweetheart,” he chuckled, kicking off his shoes and taking her legs to trip the remainder of her stockings off. Making kiss trails along her leg as his mouth grazed at her ankles before taking off her shoes and tossing them aside along with her stockings.

 

”You're so breathtaking,” Arthur murmured as Violet got up on the bed, balancing herself on her knees. She gave him a sly smirk, crawling towards him and yanking him down on the bed with her. 

 

Arthur gave her another kiss as he positioned himself on top, he stopped with a confused look when Violet shook her head. 

 

“Francine and Alice both said not to over-exert yourself remember?” 

 

“I don’t think this would-“ 

 

“I don’t want to take that chance.. not until we know for sure,” she said, frowning. Grabbing him by his shoulders, she flipped him onto his back. 

 

“So come on cowboy, let me ride you.”

 

Lowering herself onto his girth, she let out a soft sigh- she could  _ never _ get over how his body made hers react so excruciatingly well. When she was fully sheathed onto him, Arthur let out a low groan and gripped onto her thighs

 

She took it slow, moving her hips back and forth to feel his cock rub against her clit in a way that send shots of pleasure up her body everyone she moved forward. 

 

Maybe it was the liquor, or maybe it was the fact that everything seemed to be better now that it ever was, but her hips seemed to pick up the pace as the sound of her moans filled the rooms along with Arthur’s grunts every time she brought her body down to bounce on his length. The sight of her naked body bouncing atop of him was enough to send him off the edge, but he would gladly take that fall for this woman. The gold ring glinted in the dark as it rested atop his hands that squeezed her thighs and the thought that he was currently fucking his newlywed wife made him ascend to heaven as he found euphoria in her- in Violet Morgan.

 

“Sweetheart..” Arthur groaned, throwing his head back as he felt he release coming. 

Violet understood what that look meant, taking his hand and kissing the ring on it before guiding it to squeeze her breasts. His thumb grazed on the tips of her nipples, making her squeeze herself tighter when he pinched down on them. 

 

Slowing her hips down to a steadier pace, Violet felt his hips buck violently as he came in her- the white hot seed spilling deep inside of her as she released a moan when she felt her orgasm take her in a similar fashion. Doubling down, she rested her head on his shoulder with him still pulsing slowly inside of her. 

 

Wrapping his hands around her waist, Arthur lifted her off of him and set her to the side. Wiping the sweat from her forehead before giving her a kiss. 

 

Violet looked up to smile at him, her chest elevating rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. 

 

Arthur rolled over to reach for something on his nightstand and showed it to Violet. 

 

“Look, I got it framed,” he said with pride in his voice. 

 

Violet took the simple wooden frame out of his hands and looked at the picture. Her eyes widening in recognition. 

 

“This.. it’s the picture we took in Saint Denis!” She grinned. “You kept it this whole time?” 

 

“Yeah, it was one of the things keeping me going. Thought you might like it as a ‘wedding day’ present,” he smiled sheepishly.

 

“I love it.” She took the picture and placed it on the nightstand on her side of the table. 

 

“And I love you, Arthur Morgan.” 

 

“I love you more, Violet Morgan.” He wrapped a blanket around their nude bodies as they snuggled together- closing their eyes and falling asleep to the sound of their heartbeats. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re coming to a close soon here, this is probably my least favorite part of writing a story. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated~


	28. Epilogue

_ ~7 years later….~ _

  
  
  


“Woah there girl, slow now!” John clicked his tongue at the black horse below him. “Jack! Come help your momma off the wagon.”

 

“Yes, pops,” the young boy said as he hopped off the back of the wagon and helped Abigail down. 

 

“Oh, it’s been a while since we’ve been here, huh?” Abigail fixed the shawl that covered her head, looking up at the large mansion. 

 

“Come on, let’s go ahead inside.” John handed the reins to a servant before heading to the front plaza. 

 

“John, Abigail!” Violet opened the door and ran down the stairs. Her face was beaming, retaining the youthful glow about her except for the air of maturity that seemed to hang around her. 

 

“Hope it wasn’t too inconvenient to bring you out here.” 

 

“Oh goodness, no don’t worry about it!” Abigail responded. “It’s good to see you again, Violet.”

 

”Same for you all,” Violet said, looking at Jack who stood with part of his body tucked behind John. “Hi Jack, I don’t know if you remember me..” 

 

“I-I do, miss. You were.. real nice to me,” Jack mumbled, his words barely audible and a blush forming at his cheeks. 

 

“Your momma told me you wanna be a writer, huh? Well when you write your first story, I have a couple of friends to get you published,” Violet extended her hand to shake his to which he hesitated at first but shook it with a bashful grin. 

 

“That’d be swell, miss,” he thanked her. 

 

“Is Charles and Uncle coming too?” She turned her attention back to the Marstons. 

 

“Yeah they’ll be here shortly, how are Dutch and Hosea?” 

 

Violet’s smile faltered, “Dutch is with Molly, they’re out for a ride right now.. as for Hosea.. he’s no longer with us.”

 

“Oh.” John said, his expression hardening.

 

“Dutch spent his last days with him, but I think Hosea was happy overall. He’s buried on a hill overlooking the west, like he wanted.” 

 

“That’s.. good. I’m glad the old man found peace,” John smiled, Abigail turned to her husband with a worried expression and took his hand.

 

The doors opened and John looked up to see a familiar face. 

 

“Thought I heard people comin’ in.”

 

Arthur walked down dressed in an expensive silk suit, his hair graying slightly at the roots and a happy smile gracing his handsome features. He brushed his hair back as he descended down the stairs towards the group. 

 

“Good to see you still kickin’, Morgan,” John shook his hand and Arthur grinned. 

 

“I ain’t going down so easily, Marston. With the missus here taking care of everything, I basically do nothing but rest in bed and get treated.” 

 

A sharp whistle caught the group’s attention and they all turned to see Esmerelda ride up with Javier. Her usually long hair was cut to her shoulder and she wore a colorful poncho that matched Javier’s. 

 

Hopping off her horse, the spirit in her emerald eyes glistened like the silver hairs that pricked her hair.

 

“Looks like we were late,” she grinned as Javier followed closely behind. 

 

“Esmerelda, Javier! How was Mexico?” Violet ran to give her old caretaker a hug. 

 

“Hot, lotta sand and outlaws everywhere. But it’s still home,” Javier responded, giving Violet a hug.

 

Esmerelda laughed, shaking her head, “Home is where our family is, Javier. This is our family.” She motioned to the group standing before her. 

 

“Everyone else should be on their way, hopefully they all come on time..” Violet tapped a finger against her chin as the front door opened once more and a small head popped out.

 

Esmerelda squinted and grinned when she saw who it was, “Come on out, stop hiding!” 

 

The door then burst open as a small figure ran down the stairs and jumped up into Esmerelda’s open arms. 

 

“Hello baby boy, how’s my little one? Hmm??” She swirled him in his arms and gave small kisses along his head.

 

“Hi, aunt Esmerelda!” The boy squealed and hugged her back. 

 

Turning to Javier, the boy jumped up- wanting to be picked up. “Did you get me something from Mexico, uncle Javier?”

 

“Yeah, little one but I’ll show you later,” he patted his head and set him down.

 

Violet turned to the Marston’s confused expression. 

 

“Oh, well, I forgot to tell you I suppose..” 

 

The boy ran to Arthur, standing in front of him with a stiff posture. 

 

“This is our son Elijah,” Arthur smiled down at the boy below him.

 

Abigail’s eye softened as she knelt down to be at eye level, “How old are you, son?” 

 

“I’m…” he stopped to count the numbers on his stubby fingers before turning his head up to smile widely. “Seven!”

 

Elijah had Arthur’s beautiful hazel eyes and Violet’s hair, his skin was a mix between the two and his personality seemed to pick up mostly from his father-much to Arthur’s delight. 

 

“So this is why y’all wanted us to come so bad, huh?” John asked. 

 

“Just thought you wanted to see your godson, is all,” Violet said and knelt down to pick up Elijah. “It’s his birthday tomorrow after all, I invited everyone so he can know who his family is.”

 

“Fair enough,” John responded, nodding his head. 

 

“Come on, we gotta lot of catching up to do!” Esmerelda urged the group to head inside and Elijah hopped down to take her hand as they walked in. 

 

Arthur held Violet back to let them all walk ahead. 

 

“Wait, I just wanted to say I love you,” He grazed her cheek with his fingers. 

 

“And I love you. Come on, old man. Let’s head inside, need to start planning Elijah’s birthday party tomorrow,” she smiled back and planted a kiss on her husband’s lips. 

 

Arthur chuckled, putting his hand against Violet’s cheek and using his thumb to wipe off the smudge or red lipstick at the corner of her mouth.

 

“You never wanted to change your lipstick even after all this time?” 

 

“No of course not!” Violet placed a hand over her chest in mock offense. “Thought you loved that about me.” 

 

“I do, silly, how could I not love that about you. I love everything about you, pretty lady.”

 

“Mommy, daddy, come inside!” Elijah peeked his head from the door and waved his arm to gain his parents’ attention. 

 

“Our little angel is calling us, guess we better listen to him,” Violet laughed, tugging Arthur by his arm and leading him back up towards their home. Elijah jumped into Arthur’s arms as the old cowboy let out a quiet grunt as he held his son by one arm and his other arm wrapped around Violet’s waist. 

 

“One big happy family,” Arthur smiled to himself as he closed the door behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well y’all, this is the end. It’s been a wild ride and I wanna thank each and every one of you who clicked on this story, left kudos or a comment- I never would have gotten this far without so much support. You guys are sincerely the best, till next time~ 🖤


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